


Roll of the Dice

by Garlic_bread_lady



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Dungeons & Dragons Campaign, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Lapis has issues, Main characters are all 21-26 range, Past Abuse, Past Jasper/Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Peridot is an asshole, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:49:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24086137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garlic_bread_lady/pseuds/Garlic_bread_lady
Summary: Lapis has been in a rut ever since she broke things off with her ex girlfriend 7 months ago. Her best friend, Steven, persuades her to join his DnD party to clear her mind. Oddly enough, the annoying yet lovable girl she meets while playing happens to act as a great distraction.Or, alternatively, Lapis falls for Peridot because of a nerdy tabletop-rpg.
Relationships: Amethyst/Pearl (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Doug Maheswaran/Priyanka Maheswaran, Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe), Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you to everyone who decided to read this! This is my first time writing fanfiction, so I'm sorry if it's a little rough. Like all of you, I'm really sad that Steven Universe ended and Lapis and Peridot didn't have a ton of screen time, so I've been coping by reading fanfiction and looking at cute drawings. I then decided to write my own, and thought, hey, if the gems were real and human, I have no doubt they'd play DnD. So here it is. I hope you enjoy :)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you to everyone who decided to read this! This is my first time writing fanfiction, so I'm sorry if it's a little rough. Like all of you, I'm really sad that Steven Universe ended and Lapis and Peridot didn't have a ton of screen time, so I've been coping by reading fanfiction and looking at cute drawings. I then decided to write my own, and thought, hey, if the gems were real and human, I have no doubt they'd play DnD. So here it is. I hope you enjoy :)!

The glass thrown from her hand shattered onto the wall in millions of tiny pieces. The water, thrown from the glass, stained the wallpaper, dripping down into a pool on the floor. Tears flowed in streams from her bright blue eyes while piercing yellow ones met their gaze. The girl opened her mouth to scream, but before she could even make a sound, a fist connected with her jaw. She fell, hands open to feel the hardwood she collided with. The figure, tall and muscular, loomed over her, threatening another punch if she dared get back up. The girl didn’t even attempt to, her head low as her face started to throb. The figure smirked, chuckled, then slowly walked back into the bedroom they shared.

“Lapis? Lapis? Lapis!”

A man violently shook the girl, pulling her from her nightmare. Glancing around the room, she noticed that she was, in fact, not in her old apartment. There were too many hanging birds and lights, and the rug in the middle of the room was red not blue. The couch underneath her showed years of wear, but unlike hers, this one was carefully cleaned, same with the beanbags on either sides of it. Not only that, but the TV playing in front of her and the bowls of chips on the coffee table signified that she was safely in her best friend’s basement. Did she fall asleep? She must have nodded off in the middle of their show again. Another violent shake from the man snapped her into reality.

“Steven? What the hell are-” but before she could finish, she was interjected by Steven pulling her into one of the tightest hugs she’s received in her life.

“I just- I saw you moving, in your sleep and,” Steven choked out, “I saw you _crying_ Lapis. Crying! You even said her name…” Lapis froze at the mention of her ex “lover”. She pulled away from the dejected man, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“I had another nightmare. I’m really sorry Steven, I knew I shouldn’t have taken a nap I was just _so_ tired from… well… not sleeping at home.” She chuckled nervously. Steven shifted to turn and face the almost crying girl, a small smile appearing on his lips. Slowly, he brought his hand up to her back in order to comfort her. Despite the obvious care put into the motion, Lapis flinched the second she saw the raised hand. Steven, abandoning his plan, sighed in discontent. A few moments passed before he opened his mouth again.

“Um… are you ok, Lapis?”

“Does it look like I’m ok?” She snapped, eyes narrowed at Steven. She soon realized what she had said, and covered her mouth swiftly.

“I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean that. I’m just stressed. I’m sorry.” She wrung her hands in her lap, eyes drifting anywhere but near Steven. Before she knew what was happening, she was pulled into yet another hug.

“It’s ok, Lapis. I understand. I shouldn’t have done anything. I’m just- I’m worried about you,” His eyes, trained on this best friend, as he continued his speech. “Ever since Jasper left you’ve been really on edge. Do you think we could talk? About what happened?” Steven pleaded with his best friend. Lapis, upon hearing her ex-girlfriend's name, felt a familiar bile rising from her stomach and into her throat.

“Steven? Can we just move on? I’m not ready to talk about her.” Steven obliged, nodding his head as his lips fell into a curt line.

This is how it always went. Steven would bring up Jasper, usually because of Lapis having an outburst or doing something else just as questionable, and whenever Steven begged for answers, Lapis always shut him out. Seven months of this torturous cycle, and Lapis had no intention of ever ending it. Instead, she turned to him and offered a small smile, a smile that screamed “I’m okay.” Steven didn’t buy it, like usual, but refused to press any further.

“Well” Steven began, “I don’t know how much longer you can stay here. I have a… _meeting_ in like an hour.” Steven twiddled his thumbs, hoping this wouldn’t upset Lapis. Upon hearing the word meeting, however, Steven’s wife decided to descend the stairs into the basement, carrying what looked like to be two colas.

“Meeting, huh?” Connie joked, handing Lapis and Steven their sodas and sitting down before continuing. “If I recall, your ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ hangouts aren't professional enough to be considered meetings” she said with a chuckle, causing Steven’s face to flush.

“Dungeons and Dragons?” Lapis marveled incredulously. “That’s so fucking nerdy! I can’t believe you’re kicking me out to play an imaginary game with a bunch of dweebs.” Lapis giggled, her sadness slowly melting away. Steven’s face flushed even more, and began to chug his soda in order to mask the growing redness. Lapis and Connie laughed maniacally at the display. Once he chugged the entirety of his soda he stood-up, waving his hands in the air to gain the two girl’s attention.

“It’s _not_ nerdy and they’re _not_ dweebs! I can’t believe both of you are dissing literally the _best_ game on Earth!” Steven ended with an exasperated sigh, falling back down onto the couch. After a couple seconds of silence, Lapis and Connie exploded with laughter once again, leaving Steven with a grimace.

“Oh, come on dear, I’m just poking fun. I have no doubt it’s the ‘best game on Earth’. I just like teasing you.” Connie said with a wink, her hand lingering on Steven’s sleeve. Before anyone could say anything else though, Connie got up, and with a slight smile teased, “Just don’t get too loud again. Your last session was definitely… something.” With that, she left to go back upstairs, Steven’s empty soda can in hand. 

Before she walked through the door, though, Steven shouted “We were fighting the final villain! Of course it was loud…” The sentence, however, was lost on his wife as she was already up the stairs and out the house, presumably on her way to the store. Despite how much she teased her husband about the game he played, she really found his love for it quite endearing. This started a ritual where, before any of his sessions started, Connie ran to the store to pick up sodas and snacks for all of the party members. It was unspoken love, Lapis called it.

Before she could delve deeper into her thoughts though, Steven’s ever widening smile pulled her away. She could tell what he was thinking, and she sure as hell did _not_ want to be a part of it.

“No, Steven. Don’t look at me like that, I refuse.” Steven’s face shifted into that of a kicked puppy as he looked up at Lapis.

“Oh come _on_ Lapis” Steven whined, getting ready to unleash full force begging. Lapis, not in the mood to necessarily see that display, fell back into the couch with a lengthy sigh. 

“ _Fine_.” After hearing his friend’s response, Steven excitedly jumped up to go get his character sheets. Before he could, however, Lapis demanded, “Who’s playing?” Steven stuttered in his movements, settling down near the bookshelf.

“Well… um… you know _most_ of them” he confessed, moving his hand up to rub the back of his neck. After a nervous chuckle, he hurriedly began to swipe through papers, searching for something Lapis might like. Before he could get anything, though, her voice cut through the silence as she realized what Steven had just said.

“ _Most?_ ” 

“Well yeah! You know Pearl, Amethyst, and Bismuth. You, of course, know yours truly.” Steven laughed, putting his hands on his hips and jutting out his chest.

“Yeah yeah I know you, moron. Who else don’t I know then? I mean I don’t know Pearl and Amethyst too well, and you know my history with Bismuth…” Lapis rambled, quietly remembering how Bismuth was technically Jasper’s best friend. 

“Though, it’s been seven months, so maybe they fell off? Or maybe they’re even better friends? Why do I even care…” Lapis whispered to herself, careful to not attract Steven’s attention. Luckily for her, he didn’t even seem to notice. 

“There’s only one person you don’t know. She’s pretty new to the ‘group’, but she’s really sweet once you get to know her. Did you know she goes to the college here? Pretty crazy!” Steven exclaimed, trying to hype the girl up so Lapis wouldn’t run away in fear of having to meet someone completely new. Despite Steven’s obvious attempt at trying to get Lapis to like the girl, she could only sigh.

“Steven I just don’t think I want to-” before she could continue though, Steven ran over to Lapis with a couple papers clutched to his chest.

“Please Lapis? I bet that if you play, you’ll forget about your… stuff… for a little bit. Plus, the girl? She’s not too social either. It’ll be the same for both of you! What do you say?” he pleaded, dropping the papers onto the table.

“Okay. Fine. But if I don’t like it, can I _please_ leave?” Steven cocked his head and smiled, which was enough for Lapis to know that the answer to that question was yes. Though, she could see in his eyes that she wouldn’t want to anyway. After a couple moments, Steven remembered why the papers, discarded on the table, were even there. 

“Oh! I almost forgot the most important part! Picking your character! We have an elven wizard, a dwarven paladin, a human fighter-” Steven continued on, listing all of the available classes and races that were written down on his premade character sheets. Lapis hadn’t paid attention, so when Steven asked which one she’d like to play, she panicked.

“Uh… the first one?” She offered, not really sounding sure of her decision. 

_‘The first one is always safe,’_ she reasoned to herself. Plus, she remembered elven something, and elves were cool, right? Steven nodded his head vigorously and cheerfully explained everything about the character and how to play them. Lapis took this as a sign that she had chosen correctly, though she assumed he would’ve reacted this way despite whatever character she had picked.

“This character is really cool! She’s a high elf wizard who can cast quite a few neat cantrips. She even-” Again, Lapis began nodding off halfway through his speech, obviously bored with whatever he was talking about. She didn’t mean to be rude, quite the contrary. She loved listening to Steven talk about his passions, but she just didn’t have the energy. She’s just been so damn _tired_. Her nightmares plagued every chance she got to sleep, making her feel even more exhausted than if she had not slept at all. Her thoughts were interrupted though when the doorbell rang, causing Steven to jump to his feet and go open the front door.

_‘What have I gotten myself into?’_ Self-doubt began creeping into Lapis’s head, as if often did when she faced new situations. She wasn’t used to doing activities that she was uncomfortable with, especially with unfamiliar people. Well, unfamiliar person.

_‘Her name! What was the girl’s name? Steven didn’t even mention it did he? Oh god no this is going to be so awkward if I can’t even sa-’_ Lapis suddenly found herself surrounded by people, all of them waving and saying hello.

Shit. This was going to be hard. Lapis leaned back into the couch to try and settle her nerves, cautiously looking around the room.

However, after she began to absorb her surroundings, Lapis noticed familiar faces. The first girl she noticed was Bismuth. I mean, how could she not? Bismuth was _big_. She stood at least a good 6 inches over Lapis, and Lapis was by no means “short”. Taller than average, if anything, but next to Bismuth she looked tiny. Not to mention that Bismuth had massive muscles, enough to crush a watermelon with two hands. Or a head, but Lapis never wanted to find that out. Bismuth also had a thunderous laugh, and an accent Lapis assumed was Nigerian. Bismuth was always changing her hair color, but always stuck to her famous dreads. This time, she was sporting an interesting rainbow hair, something Lapis had never seen her in before.

The next girl that she recognized was Pearl, who also dyed her hair, but always kept it at a pastel pink, neatly trimmed into almost a spike. She has a dancer’s body, maintained by a strict diet and constant exercise, as Lapis knew. Pearl was, what Lapis considered anyway, a bit of a bitch. She was nice when it called for it though, and ever since she met Amethyst she’s been happier. Speaking of Pearl, Lapis panned over to her side and found exactly what she was expecting; Amethyst.

Amethyst was newer to Lapis, only really coming into the picture a few months ago. She was amiable though, easy to get along with. Lapis was thankful for that, as she wasn’t one for conversation. Well, she used to be. Amethyst was great at talking to people, often making them laugh or at least crack a smile within minutes of talking to them. She had long, platinum hair down to her waist, and was a little bit on the chubby side. She was short, much shorter than Pearl who was about the same height as Lapis, roughly 5’7”-5’6. Though Amethyst was short, she was not the shortest one in the room.

That title belonged to the little blonde who had taken refuge on the couch next to Lapis. This must be the “mystery girl” Steven had been referring to. Lapis quickly snuck a glance towards the girl, and noticed 5 things. First, she had freckles, and lots of them spread all over her face. Second, her eyes were very, very green. Like a beautiful evergreen tree. Third, she had big, round glasses that seemed to take up half of her face. Fourth, she was _small_. She was short and skinny, like a doll. Fifth, her hair was… gelled? In a spike, almost like Pearl’s but this was much more planned than natural. It was very straight and stiff, so much so that Lapis bet that if she flicked it, the hair would keep its shape. Before she could observe more, though, Steven’s voice cut through the room.

“Hello everybody! I hope you’re all doing well. If you hadn’t already noticed, today we take on a new member!” he announces, motioning over to the blushing Lapis. “She’s never played DnD so I thought maybe we could start with an easy but fun campaign.” The blonde next to Lapis let out a groan when Steven revealed the campaign they’d be doing.

“Lost Mines of Phandelver? _Seriously?_ I bet everyone has played this campaign at least 6 times over.” A nasally, _annoying_ voice rose above the silence, causing Lapis to look over at the seething girl and roll her eyes. _These_ are the first words she says? That didn’t spark much hope in her being friends with this girl. Before Lapis could argue though, Steven quickly interjected.

“It’s Lapis’s first time playing DnD Peridot, let’s just play this one, ok? Plus, this is a fun campaign! If you make it fun, that is” Peridot reluctantly closed her mouth, but her furrowed eyebrows and puckered lips said enough. Lapis suddenly didn’t want to be sitting next to her.

_‘So her name’s Peridot, huh? And she’s_ also _a bitch? I guess it’s just something with P names…’_ Lapis pondered, trying to figure out why the girl, or Peridot, was acting like this towards her. 

“Alright, well, now that everyone is settled in, let’s begin, shall we?” Everyone silently nodded their heads and waited for further instruction. Steven smiled, and started his spiel. Once he was finished with his introduction, he said something that finally piqued Lapis’s interest.

“Now that we’re done with that, how about everyone introduces their character? Pearl, you go first, then Amethyst, Bismuth, Lapis, and finally Peridot.” Surprisingly, no one argued with this order and the party started their introductions. Lapis was only half paying attention, learning that Pearl is a half-elf bard, Amethyst is a dwarven cleric, and Bismuth is a half-orc barbarian. She hadn’t paid attention to their backstories much, only knew that Pearl’s was way too long and Amethyst’s was non-existent. She had even forgotten their names. 

_‘Not like that really mattered, right? Probably not,’_ she reasoned, _‘but does that mean_ I _need a name too? And a backstory? I hadn’t even begun to-”_ yet again, Lapis was torn from her thoughts as Steven mentioned that it was her turn to go. Lapis swallowed nervously, hoping no one knew what she was thinking.

“Well, uh, my character is an elven wizard. She… she was… hm,” Lapis stuttered, trying to figure out what she could say. Luckily, Steven reassured her that she didn’t need a background as she had just been given a character. Lapis chuckled nervously, thanking him.

“Well that’s my character then. Good ole eleven wizard. Yeah.”

“Uh what’s her name?” a familiar, yet unwanted, nasally voice spoke. Lapis cringed, and tried her best to not look down at the source of the voice.

“I don’t- uh… Lapis? Her name’s Lapis.” 

“Isn’t that _your_ name though, Lapis?” Peridot questioned, looking up at the blushing girl. Lapis looked away, struggling to come up with an answer. Noticing the tension, Steven tried to salvage the conversation.

“She can be named whatever she wants to be, Peridot. Anyway, why don’t you tell us about your character?” Peridot gladly took the opportunity to brag about her latest ‘masterpiece’, as she put it, and went into great detail explaining the intricate background of her halfling rogue. Lapis forced herself to not pay attention, this time not out of genuine exhaustion but out of pure spite.

“And _that’s_ when she was forced out of the ship because her mother disowned her and after-”

“Ughh this is so fucking boring!” Amethyst shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. “I could care less about your backstory P-dot, Pearl’s already exhausted me. Can we just move on?” Peridot blushed, her shoulders closing in on her. Lapis was fine with that, the less she heard that voice the better. Everyone was silently hoping to finally start the game, so Steven gleefully continued, describing how the group met someone named Gundren Rockseeker… Lapis was getting tired of this game already.

“As you’re walking down the path, however, your group notices two dead horses on the ground! What do you do?” Peridot, who had remained quiet through this all, finally decided to speak up.

“I say whoever has the highest investigation skill should check the horses,” everyone nodded their heads and decided that was fair, which meant Lapis had to actually do something. She really didn’t want to.

“Uh do I have to?” she asked, hoping the answer was no. Pearl shifted in her seat, preparing to say something that Lapis really didn’t want to hear. Not right now, anyway.

“Nevermind. Fine, I'll do it. Investigate, then, wizard Lapis.” Peridot scoffed at her wizard’s name, but Lapis was too tired to really say something about it. Instead, she just scooted away from the girl and leaned her head on her hand, trying to seem as uninterested as possible.

It didn’t really work, as Steven had to immediately ask her to roll ‘initiative’ after she had investigated. _‘How many i words are there?’_ she pondered, after rolling low and having to wait a while before she could begin to fight something. When it did get to her turn, though, she found out that she enjoyed combat more than anything in this game. Sure, she didn’t _physically_ fight, but her spells were very enjoyable, especially when they killed something. Her favorite was a ‘cantrip’ as Steven called it, named fire bolt. She single handedly killed two goblins, and was ready for another, but it fled, making Lapis slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, the game was starting to excite her.

The party had been playing for sometime, fighting their way through rooms of goblins, saving knights, and dodging traps. That is, until they encountered their first ‘mini-boss’. Lapis would really call it a boss, as she assumed anything that could take down half the team would be considered one. Pearl was already down for the count, her character stable, but unable to fight. Bismuth’s character, though, was also at 0 hp, but she wasn’t stable yet. Amethyst’s dwarf was struggling, ‘bloodied’ as Steven called it, and Peridot’s rogue was busy dealing with the goblin side enemies. That left Lapis as the only character who wasn’t incapable. This was looking bleak.

“Ah no come on!” Bismuth yelled, as her barbarian failed yet another death saving throw.

“It’s Ok Bis, I’ll heal ya,” Amethyst remarked, “I move towards Bismuth and use my Spare the Dying cantrip. I also want to move her out of the way so she doesn’t get hit anymore.” 

“Ok, and that’s your turn. Lapis, what do you want to do?” Steven said, looking towards Lapis hopefully.

“Uh… I suppose I’ll use fire bolt on the bugbear then?” She said, rolling her dice. She, miraculously, got a nat 20, the first one of the game. Lapis’s face immediately lit up, but before she could reach for the d10 dice, Peridot’s voice rose through the excitement.

“How did she get a 20? That’s so not fair!’ Peridot screamed, pounding her fist on the table and glaring at Lapis. “She’s never played before and you’re telling me she got a critical hit?” Lapis sighed, rolling her eyes at Peridot’s childish display.

“It doesn’t matter how long I played, dude. I can still kick ass better than you” Lapis smirked, rolling the d10 dice. She succeeded in getting a 10, and per Steven’s rule, she was allowed to use the 10 for her other roll as well.

“Yes! 20 damage!” Lapis shouted, jumping to her feet and pumping her fist in the air. Peridot looked up at her in disgust.

“You have to be joking. _She_ kills the bugbear? After we’ve been trying to hit it nonstop? Are you sure you’re reading the rules right?!” Peridot was practically pulling her hair out at this, causing the party to shoot worried glances in her direction. Finally, Lapis had enough.

“Can you not shit your pants for one _fucking_ moment? Jesus Christ you’re so unbearable.” Lapis regretted her words the second she saw the look on Peridot’s face. Sure Peridot _was_ annoying, but seeing the girl recoil onto herself made something in Lapis’s heart hurt.

“Wait, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. Can we just play without anymore comments?” Lapis apologized, looking over at the girl. Peridot relaxed her shoulders a bit, though Lapis could tell she wasn’t really over what had been said.

_‘Why do I even care if she’s upset? She clearly doesn’t care that she’s been upsetting me all night, so why did me saying_ one _thing set her off so much? More importantly, why did making her sad make_ me _upset?’_ Lapis started picking at her jeans, pulling the loose strings out until she could make little balls. The rest of the group looked away from the pair, trying to figure out what to do next. Nothing was said until Amethyst harshly elbowed Steven, prompting him to wrap the game up.

“Haha okay how about we call this a night? Lapis defeated the bugbear and you guys will get your loot next session, alright?” Everyone solemnly nodded, and Pearl started packing up her and Amethyst’s dice and sheets. Bismuth was the only one to actually verbally give a yes to Steven, which he appreciated. Before long, Pearl, Amethyst, and Bismuth had left, leaving only half the group in the house. Peridot was the first to speak.

“I’m going to go now. Thank you for having me, Steven.” She began to pick up her belongings, but before she left, she turned to Lapis and said her name with a slight nod. After that, she left, leaving Steven and Lapis alone. 

“Well… she’s certainly… something.” Lapis chuckled nervously, “Though I’m surprised she even acknowledged me after that.” Steven smiled in her direction, but was busy cleaning up the snacks the group had left.

“Here, let me help,” Lapis said, getting up to help her best friend clean up his trashed basement. “Do you think I was too harsh? I mean I apologized, and she had been an asshole all night... I just… why the hell do I feel bad?” Lapis sighed, pushing her hand into her hair.

“I mean, I don’t really know. She’s usually not like this, I don’t know what came over her today. Thank you for apologizing though, I think she owes you one as well but we’ll see. I’m sorry this wasn’t as fun as I made it out to be.” Steven put down his trash bag to sit on one of the bean bag chairs next to the table. 

“I don’t think we’ll be seeing you next time then?” Steven sighed, looking up dejectedly at Lapis. Lapis suppressed a snort at the sight of him, splayed out on the bean bag, yet still looked up at her with his famous puppy dog eyes.

“You dork.” Lapis laughed, sitting on the bean bag chair across from him, “I’ll come to the next one. You better hope that girl stays in line though. I might not feel so bad the next time I snap at her.” Steven began to laugh as well, his miserable expression soon lost to his bright smile.

“Well, I’m going to add you to our group chat then, if you don’t mind. Also, take that character sheet home, it’s yours now until you die or don't want it anymore,” Steven winked and stuck his tongue out, causing Lapis to laugh even more, “Oh! And most importantly, we meet here every Friday, so next week.” Lapis nodded, listening closely.

“Ok, I’ll be here next week then. Same time?” She questioned.

“Yep. Usually at 6pm, unless there’s an issue. Thanks for helping me clean up by the way. You don’t have to worry about the rest, though. I’ve got it. Now, go home and get some sleep!” Steven demanded playfully. Lapis obliged, and made her way up the stairs and out the door, into the summer night. Lapis looked up into the sky, watching the moon dive in and out of clouds. She smiled at the sight, before she realized she had a hungry dog waiting at home for her.

The drive from Steven’s house to hers was relatively short, mainly because she drove on autopilot. Mostly due to lack of sleep and just the fact that she’s driven these roads many times before. Upon arriving at her house, she immediately heard frantic barking coming from within. She smiled, and opened her front door, only to be attacked by an energetic ball of golden-orange fur.

“Down Pumpkin! Down! Come on girl!” Lapis snorted, trying to wrestle the lab off of her. The dog only barked in response, then dramatically threw herself into a sitting position, staring off in the distance towards her tragically empty food bowl. Lapis chuckled, petting the dejected dog as she began to move towards the kitchen. Pumpkin immediately jumped up, her energy once again restored at the prospect of food.

“You and me both, girl,” Lapis remarked as she began to fill Pumpkin’s food bowl. After she had satisfied her dog’s appetite, Lapis decided that she too should eat, and fixed herself a bowl of cereal. She kicked her shoes off and sat down in front of the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on her favorite TV show. No one really got it, and to be honest, it took a bit for the show to grow on Lapis, but now it was her all time favorite. She often found herself sitting in front of the TV, rewatching her favorite episodes. 

“Ugh Percy you’re such an idiot.” Lapis sighed as the episode ended, leaving her to her thoughts. She glanced over at her phone. 3am. Lovely. She got up and abandoned her bowl near the overflowing sink. Silently, she tapped Pumpkin and motioned for her to come with her into the bedroom. Lapis threw herself onto her bed, Pumpkin quickly following after, trying her best to worm her way into Lapis’s arms. For once, Lapis let her, almost being suffocated in the process. 

“Well, goodnight Pumpkin. See you in,” she glanced at her phone, “4 hours.” With that, Lapis threw her phone into a dirty pile of laundry and tried her best to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4,790 words, wow. I hope you guys enjoyed, and if so, leave some comments on what you enjoyed/disliked, I could always use the advice! Like I said, this is the first time I've written anything remotely like this. Anyway, I'll be posting a chapter roughly every Friday, so come back next week :p


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis's week has passed by in a blur, but luckily, today is the day she gets to go back to Steven's house. She can finally relax and play DnD after a week of waiting. However, Lapis has to work today, and her visit to Steven's may not be as relaxing as she hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friday came pretty fast! Also, I'm really surprised by the amount of kudos I'm getting! I didn't even expect to get 1 let alone 12! That's probably not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but for a first time fanfiction writer it means a lot. As always, I hope you enjoy! And if you have any feedback, I'd be grateful to hear it.

Lapis-Lazuli Vakas had hit a roadblock. For approximately 7 months, her days have been morphing into weeks and her weeks into months, leaving little to be desired. Now though, with this DnD campaign, Lapis has some kind of substance. Sure, she has work and days off, but after a while, those blend together too. Especially when you treat the nights before a work day the same as nights before a day off. These months haven’t been treating Lapis kindly. Actually, these past few years haven’t, but for the first time in a long time, she had something to look forward to. Yes, it’s only been a week, but it was fun. While  _ some  _ members were annoying, the experience beat the awkwardness.

The beeping of her third alarm finally pulled Lapis from her thoughts, making her sit up in bed to turn it off. She quickly remembered that she had thrown it into a nearby laundry pile, and with a groan, rose up to go and grab it. The piercing alarm rang for about 5 minutes before Lapis could finally find it, buried under some shirts. She pulled her phone up to her face squinting at the clock.

8am. Thirty minutes until work. She slept in  _ way _ too late. Rushing to get herself cleaned up and presentable, Lapis threw herself off her bed and slammed into her bathroom door. She reeled back and rubbed the slight bump on her forehead, cursing her past self for leaving the door wide open. After a minute, she slowly walked into the bathroom so as to not create another unsightly bruise. Looking into the mirror, the first thing she noticed was the bags under her eyes. The next thing she noticed was her hair, pale blue with the roots showing.

“God I look horrible.” She whispered, running her hand up and through her hair. She quickly splashed her face with cold water and brushed her teeth, hurrying to get dressed. Luckily, Lapis always kept her bag packed and by the door, as she often woke up too late to actually get anything ready in time. After feeding Pumpkin and saying a hasty goodbye, Lapis grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

Driving, for Lapis, is usually very calming. Today was not the case however. Ever since Steven had added Lapis to the DnD group chat, her phone had been blowing up. She typically muted it, but in her rush to leave, that was forgotten. Now, the incessant beeping was making it  _ very _ hard for her to concentrate on relaxing and enjoying the few peaceful moments in this hectic morning. She pulled into work and immediately went to silence it. Not that she necessarily wanted to ignore them, she just had a job to do. Not to mention that almost everything they talked about there wasn’t related to DnD and was, honestly, kind of a mess. The conversations jumped from memes to discussions about the right way to make hot chocolate. Sometimes they’d just send pictures of cats for hours, or send random online quizzes. All of which were things Lapis didn’t really care about. Silencing her phone, Lapis slipped it into her bag and stepped into the rather large building.

Almost immediately, the scent of chlorine filled her lungs, reminding her why she loved this job so much. Water was practically her second home, and ever since she could remember she was surrounded by it. It only made sense that she’d grow up and choose to be around it for a job. Of course, this was a job, and as much as she would love to just lounge in the pool all day, there were people to teach and things to be cleaned. 

“Hey Vakas, get your ass over here I need your help with this stupid computer!” A voice called out, interrupting Lapis’s thoughts.

“Yeah, ok. Be there in a second, Lars.” She reluctantly dragged her feet to her manager’s office, trying to figure out what in the hell Lars would need her help for. He’s more into computers than her by a longshot.

“Jeez Vakas. Could’ve gone a little faster than that,” He sneered, clearly not in the mood for Lapis’s lack of energy. “Can you log-in for me? I forgot your employee code and I need one of your customer’s numbers. They forgot to pay for a private lesson and I know you recently worked with them.” He explained, gesturing to the computer.

“Don’t you have backlogs on all of the people who pass through here?” Lapis asked.

“Uh yeah but they’re stored on the individual’s profile, duh. Anyway just log in really quickly and then you can go check the pool and make sure it’s ready for whoever is coming in at 9:30.” Lapis obeyed, signing in quickly and walking off, ready to start her day.

By noon, Lapis was already exhausted, and begged to have her lunch break early. Lucky for her, Sadie had just come in, so Lars allowed it. Lapis was ecstatic, because not only had she skipped breakfast and was very hungry, but maybe she could get a quick nap in before her next customer. However, she soon realized that napping would not be on her agenda, as she forgot to pack a lunch and would have to go out and buy some. Luckily, there was a donut shop not too far away. Lapis only knew about it because Lars and Sadie used to work there until they quit and came to work here. She shrugged, deciding that maybe a donut or two wouldn’t hurt.

Upon arriving, Lapis noticed that the place seemed pretty well maintained, and she couldn’t deny that even from the doorway the donuts smelled delicious. She looked at the menu and decided to get a pretty simple order; a small black coffee and two glazed donuts. The boy at the counter seemed very out of it. It took Lapis a while to finally get his attention, and even when she finally did get her order in he still seemed zoned out. She couldn’t blame him, working in a place like this alone can do that to you.

_ ‘Food places… never again…’  _ she shuddered, remembering her high school job at the local fast food joint. She quickly paid for her food, took it, and left. Halfway back to her work, she realized her coffee was cold and she was missing one of her donuts. She sighed, but felt too tired to turn around and get her order fixed. To top things off, a customer came in 20 minutes early so Lapis had to cut her break short.

Today was shaping up to be a shitty day. At least she had something to look forward to after work, though. Lapis sighed, grabbing her keys and wallet to go to her car and hopefully get something to eat.

Thankfully, Lapis’s workday went by quickly after her much needed lunch break. She took great pleasure in clocking out for the day, almost skipping to her car. She checked the time, and realized she only had an hour until she was expected at Steven’s. Before leaving the parking lot though, she pulled out her phone to read the groupchat.

_ Peri(dac)Tull  _ \- Hey! H e y! Amethyst change my name back now! This is  _ not _ funny I swear to god…

_ Amethot  _ \- Haha no way Peridactyl you’ll have to figure it out for yourself ;0

_ Saltqueen  _ \- Amethyst this is very inappropriate will you please change the name’s back? I mean for one my name isn’t even creative it’s just insulting and two this is very childish.

_ Nunya Bismuth _ \- I like mine ngl

_ Amethot _ \- Hell yeah B gets it >:)!

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- how did u even change the names tho.

_ Amethot _ \- I can’t tell. You snooze you loose ;p

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Okay, how about a bet then? We’ll have a vote. If your side wins then we keep the names, but if my side wins you change them back. Deal?

_ Amethot _ \- Deal ;)

_ Stephen Galaxy  _ \- theres an even # so im out.

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Fine by me.

_ Amethot _ \- Well I already know B is with me ;D

_ Saltqueen _ \- I’m definitely with Peridot.

_ Nunya Bismuth  _ \- I suppose that just leaves Lapis then

_ Lil’ Lappy _ \- i

_ Amethot _ \- She speaks! It’s been like a week girl where you been :p?

_ Lil’ Lappy  _ \- working watching tv trying to sleep

_ Saltqueen _ \- Glad you’re here then. Can you please help sort out this predicament?

_ Lil’ Lappy _ \- honestly this is pretty entertaining i think ill have to go with amethyst on this one

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- WHAT?  _ Ohmygod _ …

There was silence in the groupchat, until Peridot finally typed again.

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- I suppose, since it was a fair vote, we have to keep the nicknames.

_ Amethot  _ \- HELL FUCKING YEAH BABY! I LOVE YOU LAPIS!

_ Lil’ Lappy _ \- im glad i could be of service 

_ Saltqueen _ \- This is absolutely ridiculous, but fair’s fair. I guess.

_ Stephen Galaxy  _ \- well thats that then c u guys ltr

_ Lil’ Lappy  _ \- k bye see you soon

“That was… something.” Lapis remarked, throwing her phone onto her passenger seat and starting up her car. 

_ ‘I probably should go take a shower or something before I show up to Steven’s, but it’s like a 30 minute drive to his house,’  _ she pondered, considering her options.  _ ‘Be late or be early/on-time and smell like chlorine?’ _ She glanced at the clock.

5:15pm. Guess she’ll just have to smell like chlorine.

Lapis was roughly 10 minutes early when she made it to Steven’s, just early enough that she had to help Steven set up the snacks, drinks, and game.

“So how was work?” Steven asked, emptying a bag of Chaaaaps into a rather large bowl.

“Eh you know, lots of cleaning and teaching kids how to swim. A bit tiring though, I must say.” She replied, busying herself with labeling cups.

“Yeah I can smell it on you. Didn’t even bother to shower, huh?” He giggled, taking a handful of the newly opened cheese puff bag and shoving some puffs into his mouth.

“First of all, gross. Close your mouth. Second of all, I didn’t have time! Got out of work a little later than expected and I forgot my shoes for the shower,” she explained, sitting down on the couch before continuing. “Anyway, how was work for you? Get that promotion yet?” 

“I  _ wish _ . It’s long overdue! I’m the best ranger they’ve got!  _ And _ I’m so close to the park. I practically live there!” He grumbled, sitting next to his best friend with a sigh.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get it soon. I mean, who are you even competing against?”

“This douchebag,  _ Kevin _ . I’m sure I can outdo him though, maybe I just have to wait for the summer vacation rush to start.” Steven replied, leaning on his hand and staring wistfully into space.

“Wait, the summer vacation rush hasn’t started yet? It’s been summer for a couple weeks now.” Lapis stated, pulling Steven out of his trance.

“Yeah, the rush doesn’t start the second summer begins, it’s more of like a progressive incline. I’d give it another couple weeks or so.” He looked over, cheerfully smiling at Lapis.

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind. When are the others getting here?” Lapis asked, looking around at the noticeably empty room.

“A few minutes, I be-” Before he could finish though, the doorbell rang, prompting the man to jump out of his seat and race up the stairs, leaving Lapis alone.

She slowly reached out to grab some chips, slowly munching on them to simultaneously avoid eye contact and act like she was too busy to be talked to. That didn’t work.

“Lapis, it’s been a while.” A deep, melodic voice snapped Lapis from her task.

“Oh Garnet! Hey. How’ve you um… been?” 

“I’ve been good. The real question is how have  _ you _ been?” Garnet crossed her arms, leering down at Lapis. The thing about Garnet is that she’s intimidating, even if she doesn’t mean to be.

_ ‘It’s the glasses,’ _ Lapis thought,  _ ‘the glasses and the stance. Also that leather jacket.’ _ Garnet almost always was found wearing her signature shades and leather jacket, adorned with an ice cube on fire, which Lapis found odd. She always wore her hair in an afro, and unlike all of her companions, never dyed it, keeping it at a very dark brown. Lapis, for the many years of knowing her, had never seen her true eye color, but she assumed they were just as intimidating as every other part of the towering woman was. As she was thinking, Garnet cleared her throat, making Lapis snap out of her thoughts and answer the question.

“I’ve been better.” She chuckled, not wanting to dwell on the conversation. “What brings you here? I didn’t know you played DnD.”

“I don’t, not with this group anyway. Apparently I’m too good at predicting what our group should do, but I was the only reason they never got themselves all killed.” The woman grinned, clapping her hand on Lapis’s back. Lapis could tell by Garnet’s slight smirk that she knew Lapis was deflecting but chose to ignore it, which Lapis silently thanked her for. Though she was intimidating, she didn’t press and was honest, two very admirable traits to Lapis.

Before the two could keep talking though, Amethyst and Pearl made their way downstairs, followed by a disgruntled Peridot.

“Honestly, Amethyst can you not act like an oaf for one minute? I ask one thing of you and it always seems that I get the opposite!” Pearl shouted, lifting her arms up in the air.

“First of all I’m not an oaf. Second of all, I  _ did _ what you asked me to do P! Just maybe not as well as you would’ve liked?” Amethyst offered, clearly wanting to stop arguing in front of their friends. It didn’t work though, as Amethyst’s excuse for an apology caused Pearl to become even more upset.

“Trouble in paradise?” Garnet asked, looking over at Peridot.

“I wouldn’t know, they were like this when they picked me up,” the short blonde responded, pushing her glasses back up on her nose, “from what I’ve gathered, though, Amethyst forgot to clean  _ something _ . Typical, if you ask me.” Peridot pulled her phone from her pocket, showing Garnet a small video clip of what the girl had experienced in the car ride over. All Lapis could hear was screaming, which she didn’t care too much for.

Amidst the yelling from the two girls, Bismuth and Steven quietly made their way down the stairs and joined Garnet, Lapis, and Peridot. Steven quickly looked from side to side of the two groups, clearly looking for a way to deescalate the situation.

“Alright guys let’s settle down, ok? I think everyone’s here so I saw we start. Are we all good with that?” Everyone but Amethyst and Pearl immediately nodded their heads, the two girls agreeing but very obviously moving so they were as far away from each other as possible.

_ ‘This is going to be an interesting game,’ _ Lapis thought.

And Lapis was right. The game started back with Lapis defeating the bugbear and Steven dividing all the loot between party members. They soon made it to their next stop, the town, and chatted with some NPCs. Everything seemed to be going fine until another fight broke out with some people in a well-known ruffian group.

“Hey Pearl, do you think you could sing me a song of something? My dude is struggling here!” Amethyst shouted across the room, readying her dice.

“No, I don’t think I will. Maybe next time your ‘dude’ can clean after himself better before commanding favors from everyone.” Pearl retorted, crossing her arms with a grimace. 

“This is so not fair! She can’t do that, can she?” Amethyst yelled, holding her hands out in shock and defeat.

“Technically, she can. But is that the right thing to do?” Garnet butted in from the back. She was sitting in a beanbag chair in the corner, holding a rather fluffy brown tabby. “Lion doesn’t quite agree, do you?” With that, the tabby meowed and snuggled back into Garnet’s arms.

“Well, um, what do you do Pearl?” Steven asked nervously.

“I’d like to do nothing, thank you.” Pearl replied, averting her eyes from anyone in the room. WIth a sigh, Amethyst said something about moving away from the ruffians so as to not take anymore damage. The night went on roughly the same as that, with every single encounter being overthrown by Amethyst and Pearl’s previous argument. Thankfully, Steven called it a night after the most intense argument and sent everyone home, lying about having to wake up early for work the next morning. Lapis was relieved it was over, all of the fighting made her anxious.

While she was packing her things, though, a small voice whispered her name.

“Uh, yeah?” She asked, turning around to find Peridot standing next to her.

“I just wanted to say with sincerest apologies that I, Peridot Tull, am sorry for my actions last session. I shouldn’t have been so harsh to you, and I hope that maybe we could try again? A ‘do-over’ as Amethyst says, perhaps?” Lapis looked down at the tiny girl, her hand extended and her lips pursed awkwardly. She giggled a little at the sight, causing Peridot to immediately withdrawal her hand.

“If you don’t want to accept my apology, then I understand, but I do have to say that laughing when one is giving a sincere apology is ve-” She was suddenly interrupted by Lapis laughing even harder. Dumb-founded, she stood quietly, arms limply hanging by her sides.

“Sorry, Peridot,” Lapis said, still giggling, “Your wording was just funny. Your apology is accepted, I just thought it was funny. I’m sorry.” She said, giggling a little to herself.

“Oh, well, thanks! I hope that maybe, you know, we could be friends?” Peridot offered her hand extended in a handshake.

“We’ll see.” Lapis said, shaking Peridot’s hand. Before any more words could be spoken, though, Peridot’s name was called from upstairs.

“I have to go, I’m sorry. I shall see you next week. Have a good day.” She nodded, and then promptly ran up the stairs shouting for her friends to wait up.

“That was kind of odd.” Steven said, as he cleared the table of any debris.

“I didn’t know you and Peridot were friends.” Garnet remarked from behind the two, holding out a trash bag for Steven to throw away any remaining cups or chip crumbs.

“We’re not. She was just apologizing for her… behavior… from last session.” Garnet quirked an eyebrow at this, causing Lapis to quickly backtrack. “It wasn’t too bad, she was just being a bit of an asshole is all. She apologized though, so I suppose it’s fine. Unless she does it again.”   
  


“I doubt she will.” Garnet said, adjusting her sunglasses.

“I’ve never seen you make up with someone that quickly. It’s usually months before you even talk to them again!” Steven laughed.

“This is different though, she wasn’t being weird she just lashed out a little was all. Also, her apology made me laugh, so I had to give her a little slack.” Lapis replied, “Not to mention that I’d rather have a friend than an enemy. I don’t want to be fighting with anyone here like Amethyst and Pearl were.” She shuddered, remembering all of the yelling and side-eye glances being thrown across the room.

“Well, I’m glad you guys made-up! I don’t want anymore arguments like that again either. I hope they figure it out.” Steven said, squirting his eyes and frowning.

“I’m sure they will,” Garnet reassured, “Anyway, I must be going. See you two later.” With that, Garnet waved and left up the stairs.

“I should probably head out and leave as well. Goodbye Steven, see you next Friday?” Lapis said, looking over at her best friend.

“Yeah! See you Friday.” He smiled, giving her a tight hug and letting her finally go up the stairs and to her car.

The drive home was short, as it usually was, and Lapis returned home to a more than excited Pumpkin. Lapis knelt down to pet the wiggling dog and laughed when she began to army crawl towards her food bowl.

“You’re relentless, you know that?” Lapis snorted, pulling herself up and walking into the kitchen. Pumpkin started whining, growing more and more excited as Lapis neared her food bowl.

“You know, by the way you whine and cry about being fed makes it seem like I never feed you,” Lapis sighed, scooping a cup of food into the dog’s bowl, “Well eat up girl. I’m going to bed but you can join me whenever.” Pumpkin, too absorbed in her food, ignored Lapis. The girl laughed and shook her head.

“Well, see you then.” Lapis walked to her room and threw herself on her bed, as was typical. If you didn’t throw yourself on your bed dramatically after a long day, what the hell were you even doing?

Lapis glanced at the time. 8:30. Way too early for a reasonable adult to be sleeping. Lapis took out her phone, at first just to innocently watch YouTube fan videos of her beloved Camp Pining Hearts, but soon found herself drifting to her text message app. The DnD groupchat had been silent, everyone presumably still fighting off the awkward tension of Pearl and Amethyst fighting. Slowly, she scrolled down, past Steven’s name, past her coworker and manager, past her family groupchat.

_ ‘I should really call my parents soon, it’s been a bit,’ _ she pondered, lingering on her family’s groupchat. This isn’t what she came for, though. With a sigh, she continued scrolling, and found exactly what she was looking for. Jasper. 

Slowly, Lapis clicked on her name, cringing at the messages that were last sent, just a few months ago.

_ Jasper  _ \- Lapis, I’m sorry. Please, I’ve changed now! It’s been a few months since you’ve left and I’m better now. Please, we can be so good. Just let me show you.

_ Lapis _ \- jasper, please. drop this. we weren’t good for each other and we never will be. we…  _ i  _ did horrible things to you, and you did horrible things to me. i _never_ want to feel how i felt with you again. 

_ Jasper _ \- You’ll never find someone who puts up with you like I did. I’m the only one who can be with you, the only one who can handle your strength! Lapis, don’t let this opportunity go to waste.

_ Lapis _ \- jasper.

_ Jasper _ \- Lapis.

_ Lapis _ \- don't ever contact me again. 

She stared at the darkening screen, a sign her phone was about to turn off. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill, but she refused them. She refused to cry over her anymore, she was over her. Or, was trying to be.

“I suppose reading old texts isn't the best way to get over someone, huh?” She sighed, pulling the blankets up and around herself. She tried to sleep, but as usual, it escaped her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3,857 words. Not as much as the first chapter, but still a considerable amount. I hope you enjoyed, and I'll be posting again next Friday! Hopefully a little earlier, as I always tend to post when the sun goes down. Anyway, thanks again for reading! If you enjoyed it, or have any positives/critiques, feel free to comment or leave a kudos. Have a great day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis deals with inner thoughts on her day off. She, unfortunately, she has to go back to DnD in less-than-excellent conditions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uploaded it late again, I'm so sorry. I'm going to try to shoot earlier next time, maybe in the afternoon or late morning. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it's pretty long and can get a bit angsty at times. I wanted to explore more of Lapis's character, but let me know if it's too much. Enjoy!

Yet again, another week had flown by, and Lapis found herself waking up on Friday without much memory of the week before. She woke up slowly, breathing in deeply, and rose from her bed to stretch and yawn. A beep from her phone caused her to look down, noticing the time. Usually, she would be waking up at 7-8 am, but her phone’s clock read 10 am. Her heart raced as she told herself she was late for work, but memories of last night started flooding back.

After coming home from work on Thursday, Lars had called her. Apparently, all of her clients had rescheduled for Saturday, due to some “school trip” Lars had casually mentioned, which meant Lapis got Friday off. However, that also meant that Lapis would have to work on her usual day off, Saturday. This lapse in work for today meant that she got to sleep in for a few more hours though, or until Pumpkin decided she wanted Lapis up.    
  
Speaking of Pumpkin, the dog was excitedly wiggling right next to Lapis. Lapis giggled and reached over to pet her. After a few seconds though, Pumpkin had her fill and jumped off the bed. Before she ran out the door however, she looked back at Lapis, urging her to follow. Lapis of course obliged, knowing exactly what Pumpkin wanted. She walked into the kitchen and picked up Pumpkin’s leash and harness. After a few minutes of struggling with the dog, she finally got them on, breathing out a hefty sigh of relief. Pumpkin wasted no time in running to the door, jumping on it with full force. Lapis laughed at her excitement but hurried over to pick up Pumpkin’s leash and start walking.

It was quite a beautiful day in Beach City. It wasn’t a big town, nowhere near the size of a city, but the little beach town was nothing short of charming. The best place was undoubtedly the boardwalk, as it was right on the beach and lined with cute family-owned restaurants and shops. Lapis lived too far from the boardwalk to ever walk her there, but sometimes she’d drive the two of them over to just walk and people-watch. Because of her excellent people-watching skills, Lapis knew quite a lot of people here and their mannerisms. Sure, she didn’t  _ know  _ them, but she knew names and faces and that’s all she really needed. It wasn’t really her idea to move out here after her breakup, but Steven can be very persuasive when he decides he wants something. She always cracks under his puppy dog eyes. For a grown man, he does them really well.

It wasn’t like she dreaded living here. The town was quite beautiful, with the beach and the surrounding forests. The people were nice, albeit a bit weird. It had a small-town charm, and Lapis couldn’t deny that. She desperately needed to get away from the city anyway, as she couldn’t really stay there after what had happened. Moving here was a nice escape; plus, she had Steven, and she really, really needed someone she loved and trusted. After being here for 7 months, her thoughts about this place haven't changed much. Unlike most of the residents here, she didn’t plan on staying until she grew old and died, but this was more of a stepping stone; a place for her to get back on her feet and then to be forgotten, another memory for her to recall on later down the line. 

“I just didn’t know I’d be here so long…” she whispered to herself absent-mindedly, her eyes getting lost into the concrete below her. Suddenly, she felt herself being jerked forward as Pumpkin lunged for another dog. Remembering where she was, Lapis adjusted herself and pulled Pumpkin back, profusely apologizing to the dog’s owner. She quickly led Pumpkin away, deciding that maybe now was a good time to stop walking.

Upon arriving home, Pumpkin anxiously demanded to be let inside. Lapis obliged and opened the door, almost being knocked off her feet as Pumpkin raced to her water bowl. Lapis closed the door behind her as she walked over to Pumpkin, carefully taking off her harness and leash so as to not make the dog spill her water all over the place. After putting them away, she grabbed Pumpkin’s bowl and scooped in some breakfast. Pumpkin graciously scarfed down the pellets, leaving Lapis in awe as to how she can even enjoy something that overcooked.

After scanning the fridge, Lapis decided on eating some yogurt and fruit for breakfast. She wasn’t that hungry anyway, and fruit was always welcomed. She grabbed the remote and turned on some Camp Pining Hearts, sitting in front of the TV. She ate in silence, completely enraptured by the glowing screen in front of her. A few episodes later, Lapis decided to stop for the morning, as she remembered she still needed to go grocery shopping. With a sigh, she turned off her TV and grabbed her keys.

The grocery store wasn’t ever packed. It was almost like everyone knew when everyone else went and just avoided each other. Lapis didn’t mind at all. Hell, she loved the serenity of an empty grocery store. She didn’t need much, just snacks, quick meals, and dog food. Lapis could cook, it really wasn’t that hard, but she rarely ever felt like it, so microwave meals were a staple in her house. Things like cereal, yogurt, fruit, granola bars, crackers, and trail mix were also staples. In fact, that’s all she ever really ate. Occasionally, to treat herself, she’d get ice cream or maybe some alcohol. She especially loved vodka and rum, but would definitely settle for a beer or a nice wine. Unfortunately, but didn’t have enough money to treat herself every shopping trip. Last week she got ice cream, so that meant this week she didn’t get anything.

Oftentimes, Lapis would wonder what her life would be like if she had finished college. Maybe she would be a scientist, an oceanographer, or maybe a manager at some kickass aquarium. Her field of study was oceanography, and while she wasn’t the best student in the class, she certainly had an immense passion for it. Lapis loved water and water loved her back, so it only made sense she would pursue a higher education to learn and be involved with it. Maybe if she hadn’t dropped out, her life would be different right now. Maybe she could afford ice cream every week, even have enough money to go out places. But, unfortunately, Lapis’s fate was to be stuck in her dead-end job as a swimming trainer. It’s not like she could even enroll in college again, she would rack up too much debt. She lost her scholarships when she dropped out, so it’s very unlikely she’d get that much money ever again. With a sigh, Lapis reached out for the off-brand bargain cereal. She dropped it in the cart, walking over to the dog food aisle and picking out Pumpkin’s favorite brand. Although Lapis was considered poor, she wouldn’t ever skimp on her dog and made sure to buy her the best kind of food. 

She soon gathered all of her items and made her way to the checkout, quickly paying and leaving. She drove home, silently listening to the radio. Occasionally, she’d hear a song she knew on the radio and hummed along to it, but mainly, she kept her mouth shut. Slowly, she fell back into her thoughts, thinking about all of her past wrongs and rights until she came back home. She quickly unloaded the groceries and fell back onto the couch, reaching over for her phone. It was around 3 pm, so only a few hours until she was expected at Steven’s for DnD. Speaking of DnD, the groupchat was pretty active, sending texts after texts and blowing up Lapis’s phone. Filled with curiosity, Lapis opened it up, as ever since Pearl and Amethyst’s fight, it’s been pretty quiet.

_ Amethot  _ \- Heyyy y’all. I’m here to let y’all know that P and I won’t be there for DnD today. Sorry dudes :p.

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- Aw rlly? That sux.

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Wait, so how many of us are going to be there then? If it’s just me then I do not want to go. No offense Steven.

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- none taken dw.

_ Nunya Bismuth _ \- I’ll be there

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Okay so that’s, what, 2 out of 5? Not much of a campaign if you ask me…

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- im gonna b there tho!

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Well you’re the DM so do you  _ really _ count? Again, no offense.

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- again, none taken.

_ Saltqueen _ \- We really are sorry guys, we’re just in a bit of a tight spot and we definitely do not want a repeat of last time. 

_ Amethot _ \- Yeah last time was ROUGH :/.

_ Nunya Bismuth _ \- You could say that again

_ Saltqueen _ \- Well, sorry for the outburst, but we should be able to play again next session if that’s ok with you all.

_ Nunya Bismuth _ \- Take ur time girl it’s fine by me

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- take all the time u guys need.

_ Peri(dac)Tull  _ \- Hurry up and take your time so you can hurry up and get back. We have a game to play you know! Though, with only 2 out of 5 people playing, I doubt we’ll even be playing a game today.

The groupchat fell silent for a couple of minutes, leaving Lapis wondering if she should just wait and read a response or type one herself. She eventually chose the latter after getting too bored staring at an unresponsive screen.

_ Lil’ Lappy - _ ill be there so that makes 3 out of 5

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- 4/6, thank u.

_ Lil’ Lappy _ \- 4 out of 6 then that should be enough id say

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Yeah, I suppose. I’ll see everyone but Pearl and Amethyst at 6 then!

_ Lil’ Lappy _ \- see ya

Lapis groaned, throwing her phone onto the carpet below her. Part of her was relieved to know that Pearl and Amethyst wouldn’t be here tonight to stir up any trouble, but she was also a bit anxious to just be playing with Bismuth and Peridot. She barely knew Peridot, and Bismuth was a harsh reminder of the past she wishes she could forget. Funny how the best friend of her ex also decided to move to a small town on the coast. Not that Bismuth did it on purpose and nor was it funny. Still though, it hurt to see her sometimes as much as Lapis wished it didn’t. 

And Peridot? Lapis didn’t really know what to think of the small girl. She was annoying and kind of a know-it-all, but that sort of added to her charm. She was an asshole though, and she definitely showed that to Lapis the first time they played DnD together. However, she did apologize for her behavior and even offered Lapis her friendship. She was still new though, and Lapis wasn’t too keen on new people.

“At least I have Steven though.” She announced, to no one in particular. She settled down on her couch and grabbed the remote, content to watch a couple of episodes of Camp Pining Hearts before she actually had to get up and do anything. Lapis adored Camp Pining Hearts, it was her favorite TV show of all time. Though she did have to admit that for a show about camp counselors in love, they sure are dragging it all out. She’d been watching it since she was a lovesick teenager, and now, at 24 years old, it was still going on. Admittedly, Lapis had fallen out of it during college and while she was with Jasper and a while after their breakup, but after a few months of watching it, she’s almost caught up. Thirteen seasons is a lot for any show, especially a cheesy romance like this one. Although it’s been severely drawn out, Lapis can’t deny that she loves it and even enjoys how long it’s been going on. She smiled as the intro played, but before she got too enthralled with the show, she set an alarm for 5:30 pm.

Unfortunately for her, today was not a day that her mind was going to let her rest. Typically, Lapis’s thoughts were almost nonexistent throughout her day, they only really manifested themselves in nightmares. However, there were always exceptions to the norm, like today. Sometimes, her mind wouldn’t let her rest; wouldn’t give her time to just not think for one damn minute. Those were the bad days, as Lapis dubbed them. They didn’t happen too often, luckily, but the only upside was that after those days of extensive thinking, she rarely had nightmares. Of course there are always exceptions, but Lapis was thankful she at least could escape from her thoughts with sleep. And then, the next day rolled around, leaving her head empty but her heart dreading the moment she would fall asleep. Her thoughts weren’t anything considered “dangerous”, such as harm to herself or someone else, but they could be volatile: spitting words of how she could’ve been better, how she could’ve done something for herself. Sometimes, they’d even go as far as to say she deserved everything that had happened to her with Jasper- and as much as she knew she didn’t, it was hard for her head not to slip into a mindset where maybe she did deserve some of it. 

Before she could get too caught up though, her alarm screamed at her to snap out of it. Thankful, Lapis turned it off and dragged her feet towards her room to go and change into something a little more presentable. She looked in the long mirror in her room, staring back at her reflection. Despite her fucked up mind, Lapis’s body wasn’t that bad. Mainly because of all the swimming she’s done throughout her life. She used to be in competitive swimming in middle and high school, even a little bit in college, but ultimately had to give it up after she dropped out. Due to her job and regular workouts, her body remained pretty toned. Not to mention that she rarely gets to eat out, so that plays a part. If she could afford to though, she definitely would. Lapis considered herself lucky that she felt semi-comfortable in her body, despite everything that’s happened to it. There were tons of little flaws she could point out, such as her chin being a little too big, her stomach not as flat as she wanted it to be, or her arms being skinnier than she’d like. But, she didn’t  _ hate  _ her body, it just wasn’t her favorite. However, her mind could use some touching up for sure, and that was something she desperately wanted to fix. Her hand ran through her hair as she stared at her showing roots.

“I need to do something about this…” she murmured, still messing with her hair. She decided that she’d dye it this Sunday, her other day off. She quickly put the reminder on her phone and searched around the room for something to wear. She looked through her drawers, pulling out a blue and white striped tank top and some white shorts. 

“Good enough.” She nodded to herself, pulling her shirt on as she attempted to jump into her shorts at the same time. Unfortunately, the combined tasks proved to be too much for Lapis, as within a second she fell face-first into a pile of dirty clothes.

“God fucking damnit!” She yelled, getting up and kicking the pile of clothes she tripped on. This only succeeded in her making more piles of clothes, causing her to curse even more. She sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. After gaining her composure, Lapis slowly started putting on her clothes. She got dressed and hurriedly grabbed her purse.

She arrived at Steven's just on time, but she felt a little guilty for not coming earlier to help him out. Steven didn’t mind, of course, but happily invited her in. Peridot and Bismuth were chatting, seemingly about something very funny. Lapis suddenly remembered why she was hesitant about coming here. They noticed her though and waved her over to come sit down with them. She stalled for a minute, trying to look busy on her phone, but pushed herself forward so as to not be rude. She didn’t want to cause a scene at Steven’s house, especially not after last time. She would hate to be the reason that her best friend was upset.

“Ah Lapis, perfect timing for you to join us. Bismuth and I were discussing how short halflings would be if they were real. Of course,  _ everyone _ knows that halflings stand at an average of 3 feet, but what height would they actually be is the question at hand.” Peridot’s nasally voice explained to Lapis.

“Well I’m not sure how you can speculate how short they are then if you already know their height.” Lapis said pointedly, raising her eyebrow at Peridot.

“Um well… you see, it’s uh not-”

“What Tiny is trying to say here is that technically we know what size they are, but literally? We’re just trying to imagine a 3-foot tall 40-pound human. I don’t know about you but I can’t really picture it.” Bismuth interjected.

“I see. You could just look up pictures though.” Lapis deadpanned.

“Of  _ course  _ we could, but that just takes the fun out of it!” Peridot retaliated, holding her hands out straight in front of her.

“Well, the next best solution would be looking in a mirror, you know.” Lapis smirked, crossing her arms.

“Ooh burn!” Bismuth chuckled. Her laughing only amplified as Peridot’s face went from pale white to a cherry red. This caused Lapis to laugh as well, wiping small tears from her eyes. Soon, the pair was doubled over in laughter, and Peridot could only huff out a sigh as she sunk into the couch.

“Alright, alright, settle down,” Steven giggled as he sat down across from the group, “Let’s start off from where we were, ok?”

“Wait, how are we even going to play if Pearl and Amethyst aren’t here?” Lapis asked.

“Can we even play?” Peridot followed up, shaking off the embarrassment from earlier.

“Uh… why not?” Steven said slowly, raising his arms in a shrug.

“Eh I’ve got Amethyst and Pearl on speedial, I’ll keep ‘em up to date on everything.” Bismuth revealed her phone with a smile.

Lapis and Peridot both looked at Bismuth, each other, and then finally at Steven. Steven shrugged again and grabbed the booklet.

The game went on normally, with Steven adjusting the difficulty when needed. The group decided to have a more toned down session, going back to the town to get some side quests. After fighting some orcs and persuading a banshee, they decided to call it a night. Lapis had a good time, somehow, and even  _ enjoyed _ being with Peridot and Bismuth. She smiled to herself as she helped clean up their mess, and for the first time, Peridot and Bismuth reached out to help her and Steven. With four people, they cleaned up considerably faster, not to mention that without Amethyst, the mess was reduced by at least half.

“Welp, that about does it. See y’all later!” Bismuth waved as she walked up the stairs to leave.

“This session was very… enjoyable. Thank you, Steven. Goodbye” Peridot waved at him. She began to walk up the stairs until she suddenly turned around, appearing to forget something.

“Goodbye to you too, Lapis.” She waved yet again and quickly turned to run up the stairs. 

Lapis and Steven both waved back, but Peridot had already left. Lapis looked over at Steven, his hand still extended. With a small smile, she high fived him as hard as she could.

“Ow Lapis! What was that for?” Steven whined, rubbing his hand.

“Can’t a girl just high five her best friend?” She laughed, rubbing her hand as well. 

“Yeah, yeah sure she can.” He said. He looked down in his hands, and a smile slowly crept along his face. He lifted up the small trash bag and handed it to Lapis triumphantly.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Lapis demanded.

“Well, since you’re my best friend, your words, I doubt you’d mind taking out the trash for me on your way out my front door.” Before Lapis could respond, Steven quickly pushed her to the stairs. Accepting defeat, Lapis spat out a goodbye and stomped up the stairs, leaving Steven to laugh all alone.

She made sure to wave goodbye to Connie with her free hand before leaving the house. When she got outside though, she noticed that the trash was still on the side of the street. Being the good friend she was, Lapis threw the bag into the trash and wheeled it up to the side of the house. 

“Well that’s that, time to go home then.” She silently got into her car and drove home, listening to the local news on the radio. However, Lapis was falling asleep at the man’s droning voice, so she quickly turned it off. She arrived at her house shortly after and made her way into the front door. 

“Hey Pumpkin, how have you been?” The dog jumped up on her, whining and begging to be pet. Lapis giggled, and after a few moments of excitement, Pumpkin sprinted into the kitchen.

“Let me guess,” Lapis walked over to the kitchen, picking up Pumpkin’s bowl, “someone’s hungry?” Pumpkin wiggled around, almost giving the appearance of a nod. Lapis smiled at her dog and began to scoop the food into her bowl. She commanded Pumpkin to sit and stay as she put down the bowl, and after a few moments, Lapis gave the command for Pumpkin to 'go'. While she ate happily, Lapis fixed herself a microwave meal. She didn’t typically like making microwave meals as, unlike cereal or yogurt, she had to wait a while before she could actually eat it. She opened up her phone as she waited and checked her messages. There was just a couple from the DnD groupchat: basically, just Bismuth explaining how the game went down to Amethyst and Pearl. She also had a text from Steven.

_ Steven _ \- thank u 4 putting up the trash can btw.

_ Lapis _ \- no problem it was there so i thought why not

_ Steven _ \- r u doing anything next saturday?

_ Lapis  _ \- no i think i have it off why

_ Steven _ \- i was thinking of inviting the dnd guys out, maybe to the festival on the beach, u know?

_ Lapis  _ \- that would be fun im down

_ Steven _ \- epic! its @ 12:30ish, on the beach off to the boardwalk.

_ Lapis _ \- ok ill be there next week, are we still doing dnd

_ Steven _ \- ye, but i think we might actually move it to saturday, after the festival. if that works w/ u. it should work w/ evry1 else. i have to go though Connie wants to watch a movie w/ me. c u ltr.

_ Lapis _ \- that works see you later

Lapis lowered her phone and checked the microwave. She still had a few minutes left. Groaning, she leaned onto the counter and crossed her arms. She stared straight at the timer as if that would make it go any faster. With a huff, she lowered her gaze and found herself staring at her shoes. 

“I should probably get changed.” She whispered, leading herself to her bedroom. Before she went in though, she kicked off her shoes near the front door. She then found her pjs and quickly changed into them. She walked back to the kitchen and sighed with relief when she saw there were only a couple seconds left, so she removed the food early and stirred it around a bit. She took her almost boiling food to the couch and carefully set it down next to her as she turned on the TV. She turned on Camp Pining Hearts and ate as the show played. 

A few hours had passed. Lapis had discarded the finished meal and the TV at this point was just static for her ears. She had almost fallen asleep, but of course, her mind wouldn’t stop racing. 

_ ‘Perhaps I should go back to college?’  _ she wondered. Yet again, she remembered how much it would actually cost now seeing as she wouldn’t have any scholarships. She dismissed her thought, but sure enough, she was thinking about something else. She started thinking about jobs, specifically about getting a better job somewhere else. Sure, the pool paid more than minimum wage, but there has to be more out there. She paused for a second.

“No. It’s impossible.” She sighed. “In the time it would take me to get another job I wouldn’t have enough money for rent or food and who’s to say that I would even get a better job? It’ll probably have nothing to do with water anyway.” Accepting defeat for the second time tonight, Lapis lugged herself to her room and threw herself on her bed. The thought of getting out of this town -of leaving- sounded nice to Lapis, but she’d have no idea where to go. Not to mention that she had to take care of Pumpkin, and she would never want to put her in harm’s way. Maybe it was just a matter of time before she moved. She’d leave Beach City a changed woman; a woman with a future ahead of her. She’d get a good job, a good enough one to where she wasn’t struggling to pay rent or get food. She’d be free of her past, free of the thoughts that plagued her mind.

“If only.” Lapis snorted, amused by her ridiculous thinking. She liked being hopeful, but in her case, it never really worked out. It always helped to just stop the thinking in its tracks before letting it manifest. Now, the fact of her leaving Beach City wasn’t ridiculous thinking. It was going to happen eventually. Lapis didn’t want to stay here for the rest of her life, just enough to get back on her feet. The most daunting problem was getting better. It’s already been 7 months and, if anything, she’s been getting worse. Probably because she was too stubborn to ask for help or admit defeat in front of anyone. She’s known Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet ever since she moved here and she can’t remember any time she’s told them anything personal. She’s known Bismuth and Steven longer, but of course, she told Steven things. Bismuth was a whole other can of worms, though. Then she knew some acquaintances, like Lars, Sadie, and Peridot. Never in a million  _ years _ would she tell them anything unless it was absolutely necessary, or if they were the last people on Earth. Maybe not even then. Although, Peridot was more than an acquaintance, almost a friend. So she would tell her things if those previous circumstances were met.

_ ‘I can make it through,’ _ she thought to herself,  _ ‘if I’ve made it this far in life, I can do anything.’ _ With that, her mind finally gave up and shut itself up. Thankful for the peace, Lapis took this silence as an opportunity to sleep. That night, she slept soundly with no nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4,573 words. Longer than my last chapter, for sure. Thank you guys for reading it! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm really excited to write about the beach festival, as Lapis will finally interact with Peridot other than insulting her or being insulted by her. And, of course, all of the others we've met so far will make an appearance, along with some new people! Have a great weekend everybody and leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed it/have something you'd like to recommend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The DnD group decides to go to the beach festival this Saturday and things don't go exactly as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this up a little later than expected, but this is a reallllly long chapter. This week was a little bit busier than any of the others I've had while writing this story. My sister's birthday was on Wednesday and my mom just got her schedule to work again so things are a little hectic. It's alright though, as this is a pretty hectic time. I hope you all are staying safe though and I also hope you enjoy this chapter.

The sound of Lapis’s alarm jolted her awake. With a sigh, she got up and groped her sheets, attempting to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Finally, her hand fell on her phone, and she promptly shut the device off. She pulled herself up and sat on her bed, stretching to get rid of the lingering tiredness. She checked her phone and scoffed at the time. It wasn’t early, just a little bit after 10 am, but Lapis  _ did  _ end-up falling asleep at around 5 in the morning. She quietly pondered why she had an alarm on Saturday, of all days, when it hit her: the festival! 

“It’s really been a week?” Lapis exclaimed to herself, mulling over the lost time. However, she soon regained her composure and quickly scrolled through her texts with Steven to find the time of the festival. She silently thanked herself for the alarm, as now she’d have time to properly get ready, eat breakfast, and take Pumpkin for a walk. She started on getting ready, jumping into the shower for a quick rinse. If she had more time, Lapis would’ve loved to have stayed in the shower for an hour, just basking in the hot water. Unfortunately, though, that wasn’t the case, and all too soon Lapis had to reach over and shut off the water. She dried herself off and walked into her room, searching through her drawers to try and find what she’d like to wear. She found her bathing suit pretty easily and made sure to put that on before putting on her actual clothes.

“It’s not like a fancy party or anything, just  _ pick _ .” Lapis said. She hadn’t done laundry for a while and her options weren’t exactly what she had wanted. “This is better than nothing, I suppose…” she mumbled, pulling out her jean shorts and a black crop top. However, as Lapis put on her outfit, she looked outside. Call it luck, maybe supernatural witch powers, but Lapis could always tell when it was about to rain. She could feel it in her bones, like some old superstitious farmer.

“Better be safe than sorry,” she whispered to herself, tying a blue hoodie on her waist and throwing a little, yellow rain poncho into her backpack. Steven says it’s not  _ really  _ a backpack since it’s too small to hold much of anything, but Lapis often disagrees. It’s not like she needs to hold a lot of things anyway, just her wallet, phone, keys, some cosmetics, and occasionally snacks or water. This time, her extra space was occupied by a rain poncho. Not to mention, it was water-proof and shaped like a blue teardrop. She threw it over her back and went to look for Pumpkin. Conveniently, the dpg was waiting right by her food bowl.

“Hey girl, you hungry?” Lapis giggled, grabbing the excited labrador retriever's bowl. She scooped in her food and set it on the floor, smiling at the dog as she ate. She reached down and pet her, stroking her head and flipping her ear back to its original position. Sometimes, when Pumpkin got a bit excited, her ears flipped back and you could see the pink inner ear. Lapis, and anyone who saw it quite frankly, found it very amusing, but Lapis would help her out if she saw a flipped over ear. After she’s had a laugh, of course. While Pumpkin ate, Lapis searched the kitchen for something to eat. She assumed there would be food at the festival, albeit expensive, but then again it  _ was  _ her week to treat herself. She smiled lightly and grabbed a granola bar. She quickly scarfed it down and started looking for Pumpkin’s leash and harness. Thanking her past self for leaving it in the right spot this time, she harnessed Pumpkin and took her out around the block. 

It looked pretty today, the town. The sky was clear with a few clouds, but Lapis wouldn’t be fooled by the facade. She knew rain was coming, but couldn’t tell how hard it would be. Not that she cared that much, she loved the rain. Anything that involved water, honestly. It would just put a damper on the group’s plans. 

“Literally.” She giggled, pulling Pumpkin back onto the sidewalk. Even though Lapis had lived here for almost 8 months now, she was still shocked at how friendly everyone was. They always waved as she passed by, and she always waved back. It was nothing like her old place back in Empire City. No one waved, hell, no one even smiled. It was a bleak place, but it was almost comforting, having no one take any notice in you. Lapis still wasn’t sure if she liked that everyone around her knew of her and actively made a point of acknowledging her. It’s been almost 8 months and she still wasn’t sure if she liked the outward friendliness of the town. Nevertheless, Lapis waved back and smiled. 

_ ‘Getting used to something is just forcing yourself to do something over and over again, anyway.’ _ She reminded herself. Lapis continued her walk in relative peace, only having to wave and exchange niceties to a few people. There weren't as many townies out and about as there usually were, but Lapis remembered why that might be.

_ ‘They’re probably getting ready for the beach festival,’ _ she reasoned. She got home and removed Pumpkin’s leash and harness. To make it easier on herself for the next time, she made sure to put the items back into the “walking basket” as she called it. She opened her phone to check the time, noticing that she had roughly an hour before she was expected at the beach. She also noticed that the DnD groupchat was buzzing, yet again.

_ Amethot _ \- Yo Steven, no one’s here! Where the hell is everyone >:(?

_ Saltqueen _ \- We arrived at the time specified, did we not? Perhaps there was a mix-up of some kind?

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- uh i told u it was @ 12:30 not 11:30.

_ Amethot _ \- Whooooops :p

_ Saltqueen _ \- Well that’s just fine, I suppose we’ll find somewhere to set up our stuff. You all might want to get here now anyway since there’s not much of a crowd at the moment.

_ Peri(dac)Tull  _ \- An extra hour with you clods? No thanks.

Lapis giggled at the girl’s remark, imagining how upset Pearl would be at the word choice.

_ Saltqueen _ \- Wow. Really? Insults? We’re not grade-school children. That was not funny in any way, shape, or form. If you don’t want to come an hour early then why even come at all.

_ Nunya Bismuth _ \- I thought it was pretty funny

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Because it  _ was  _ funny.

_ Saltqueen _ \- It was not.

_ Lil’ Lappy  _ \- it was a little funny honestly

_ Peri(dac)Tull  _ \- See even Lapis found it funny! And she never finds  _ anything  _ funny!

_ Lil’ Lappy _ \- nevermind it wasnt funny uninvite peridot

_ Peri(dac)Tull  _ \- Wow, thanks.

_ Saltqueen _ \- I agree with Lapis.

_ Peri(dac)Tull  _ \- I’m still coming, you clods.

_ Stephen Galaxy _ \- well, if the beach is as clear as u say, why don’t we start headin down now? unless u cant, which is fine tho. im gonna b over in a few, c u soon.

_ Saltqueen _ \- We’ll save you a spot, Steven.

_ Lil’ Lappy _ \- ill be on my way too then

_ Nunya Bismuth _ \- Me too

_ Amethot _ \- ok alright we’ll all save you guys spots ;p

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- I’m going to be a little late. I’m having a… delay.

_ Amethot  _ \- We’ll see you when we see you, Dot :)!

_ Peri(dac)Tull _ \- Don’t call me that.

Lapis turned off her phone and threw it onto the carpet below her. She dramatically threw herself over her couch, sighing loudly. Pumpkin came over to the obviously distressed girl and cautiously licked her hand.

“And here I thought I could enjoy a bit of my show before having to socialize again!” She yelled, draping her hand over her forehead. “But alas, I am made to go out. How upsetting!” Pumpkin began to grow more and more worried the longer Lapis continued her show. She finally caved though and pulled Pumpkin in for a tight hug.

“I’m ok, I’m ok! I was just being dramatic. Anyway, I better freshen up, huh? Maybe put on some makeup, maybe,” she quickly sniffed her armpit, “ _ definitely  _ put on some deodorant.” She corrected herself. Lapis got up and went over to the bathroom. She applied some light makeup and some needed deodorant. With some contemplation, she decided to throw that into her backpack as well. She rummaged around her bathroom cabinet until she finally pulled out some sunscreen, placing that right next to her deodorant. She then made her way to her kitchen, heading straight for her fridge. She pulled out a metallic blue water bottle. Unfortunately, it was too big to fit inside the backpack, so she had to clip it onto one of her backpack straps. She double-checked her pack, and when she found that everything was there, she set off for the boardwalk.

The car ride was mainly uneventful. Lapis decided that today was a good day to listen to the radio, maybe give her some interesting points to talk about. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. She doubted anyone wanted to hear about any worldwide tragedies or local heartwarming stories, so she decided to turn it off halfway into the drive. She opted for silence, allowing her to stop and stare out at the town around her. The best part about this city, other than Pumpkin and Steven, of course, was the beach. The boardwalk, too. Arguably the best place in town. However, on long weekends or holidays, it could get incredibly muddled with tourists. That is when it’s arguably the worst place in town. Lapis looked out at the growing crowd at the beach. The festival was celebrated every summer, hosted by the mayor in order to get people to vote for him. Not that Lapis really cared, or anyone, for that matter. It was just a fun time to relax, hang out with friends, and do beach things. Also, it was the  _ only _ time alcohol was allowed on the beach. 

_ ‘Funny how he can break the rules but when it comes to citizens, that’s another story.’ _ Lapis thought, still eyeing the beach. Of course, people still drank on the beach. The rules weren’t really enforced, but if you somehow managed to get caught, you’d probably be facing some fines and community service. No jail time, as far as Lapis knew. Plus, it was mainly teenagers, and drinking as a minor on prohibited grounds was worse than drinking as an adult on prohibited grounds. That’s what she overheard Lar’s talking to Sadie about one time, anyway. She shrugged her shoulders and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

_ ‘Why am I so nervous?’  _ She asked herself. _ ‘I’ve talked to them  _ all  _ before! Maybe it’s just the setting…’  _ Lapis didn’t really like parties. It just wasn’t her thing, never has been and never will. This wasn’t your typical party of course, but it was mainly the crowds that concerned her. She pulled up into the parking lot of the boardwalk and steadied her hands on the wheel in front of her. She breathed deeply and stared into the car mirror.

_ ‘You’re ok, Lapis. Let’s just try and have a good time. For Steven. For everyone.’  _ As she left the car, a little voice in the back of her head whispered so faintly she almost didn’t hear it.

_ ‘For you.’ _

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lapis had soon found the group, basking under the sun in a semi-reclusive spot. 

“Lapis, you’re here!” Steven shouted, waving her over. Lapis smiled at the man and then back at everyone else.

“Glad you could make it, Lapis.” Pearl said with a smile, pulling out a drink. “I brought a small cooler filled with drinks. Would you like one?”

“I added some of my own, too.” Amethyst said with a wink.

“Yes, there are some…  _ adult  _ drinks in the mix.” Pearl sighed.

“I’d like one of those adult drinks, please.” Lapis smiled sweetly. Amethyst cackled at Lapis’s expression and quickly handed her a cold beer.

“Hits the spot, don’t it?” Bismuth chuckled, taking a sip of her own beer. With a crack, Lapis opened hers and drank, replying with a hefty nod.

“Ah, Lapis, you’re finally here.” A voice called out from behind her. When she turned to look, she saw Garnet walking up to the group. She was holding quite a few chairs, a towel, and a beach bag. With a grunt, the woman dropped her items and clapped her hands together. A chorus of “thanks Garnet” flowed from everyone’s mouth as they took a chair.

“Hey, Garnet. I didn’t know you were coming.” Lapis nervously laughed, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. 

“Well, I knew you were coming. I brought you a seat, by the way.” Garnet gestured to the dwindling pile of chairs. Lapis nodded and thanked her, grabbing the bright blue chair and setting hers up next to Steven. Conversation fell over the group as Garnet settled down with Pearl, Amethyst, and Bismuth. Soon, the group began talking, leaving Lapis and Steven to their own devices.

“So, how’s your week been, Steven?” Lapis asked. Steven dramatically leaned his head back with a sigh. She automatically knew something was up.

“Not good, honestly. I think Kevin might actually be getting that promotion, not me! If only there was a way for me to prove that I’m more capable…” He pondered.

“I would help you with some ideas, but I doubt you’d seriously consider any of them.” Lapis joked, flicking Steven’s elbow. He pushed her off and quickly flicked her back before continuing.

“I don’t really know any kind of idea that could work. I think something’s just up with the park, a bad year. Not many people are staying up in the cabins.” He muttered.

“Then get people to stay at the cabins, pretty simple.” Lapis shrugged, reaching down for her beer. Before she could get a sip though, Steven jumped to his feet.

“That’s brilliant Lapis! I’ll just get people to come to the cabins and then I’ll show my boss that I can get visitors! This is why you’re my best friend.” He hugged Lapis tightly. Mostly to himself, he whispered, “Just who would I invite though?”

“I don't care just  _ please  _ let me go!” Lapis begged, trying to pry Steven’s arms off of her waist. He suddenly dropped her, letting out a loud sorry, but was clearly deep in his thoughts. Lapis knew her best friend, and it was almost impossible to talk to him when he got like this. She huffed out a sigh and settled herself back into the beach chair and took a look around. There were a lot of college kids here. They all clustered into their own groups, much like the group Lapis was sitting in right now. There was loud music from the DJ booth right on the boardwalk, and Lapis noticed a large crowd dancing beneath it. Not too far from the DJ booth seemed to be a “pop-up” bar. It was basically one of those foldable white tables with tiki torches on either side. The set-up wasn’t the best, yet that didn’t deter the many people who went up for an expensive but convenient drink. The beach was also littered with many haphazard decorations, mainly just fake tiki torches and random, plastic tiki statues. Some palm trees had fairy lights wrapped around the trunk, but unfortunately, it was too bright for the light’s to shine. There were also poles where some colorful paper decorations hung from, but they were put up in such a random way that instead of the nonchalant look Lapis assumed they were going for, it just looked careless. It sort of looked like a child’s birthday party, but the booming music and attendees said otherwise. Lapis looked out to the ocean and found it absolutely polluted by people. She decided that maybe she  _ wouldn’t _ be swimming today. All of a sudden, Bismuth shouted loudly in the direction of the DJ booth, her arms swinging wildly as if she was trying to land a plane. Lapis followed her gaze and realized why the woman was shouting; Peridot was here. The first thing that Lapis noticed about Peridot was her outfit. The girl was wearing black jeans and a big green hoodie. At the beach. In the middle of summer. Not only that, but she was also wearing converse, and she seemed to be having some trouble carrying herself through the sand. Peridot must’ve noticed Bismuth’s frantic shouting and waving, as she turned towards her and started walking faster. 

“Hello everybody. I would apologize for being late, but according to our original plans, I’m actually early.” 

“Nice to see you too, P-dot. What took you so long?” Amethyst giggled. Peridot rolled her eyes as she sat down on the sand.

“That’s none of your business.” Peridot spat, looking away from Amethyst. Amethyst stopped laughing and crossed her arms. It was obvious she was about to say something, but Garnet quickly intervened.

“I brought a chair for you, Peridot.” Garnet said, gesturing to the green beach chair next to Lapis.

“Wow, thanks.” Peridot remarked, picking up the chair. She set it up and sat down, crossing her arms once seated.

“Well  _ someone’s  _ in a bad mood.” Bismuth nervously chuckled, nudging Amethyst in the arm. The purple-haired girl grunted, but Peridot scowled at the two and sunk more into her hoodie before responding.

“It was just a pain in the ass to get here was all…” Peridot mumbled, looking down at her feet. A brief silence was shared among the group before Pearl cleared her throat.

“Well, um, I brought some drinks for everyone. Would you like one?” Pearl opened the cooler and looked up at Peridot expectantly.

“Oh uh, sure. May I please have some water?” Pearl nodded and handed over a bottle. Eventually, the group settled back into pleasant conversation. Steven was silent, still enraptured by his thoughts. Lapis sucked on her cheek before she turned to Peridot.

“So, how was your week?” Lapis asked. Peridot seemed a bit taken aback by the question, but after a moment of silence, she finally spoke up.

“It was mediocre, as it always is. What about you?” She responded.

“Mine was pretty mediocre too. What took you so long to get here? No offense.” Lapis asked. Silence fell on the pair once again as Peridot narrowed her eyes. Lapis looked away and bit her lip, mentally scolding herself for that question.

_ ‘Why would I ask that? It was obviously a sore spot for her, which is why she got so mad at Amethyst when she asked. Oh my god, I’m such an idiot why did I-’ _

“I thought I made it clear that I don’t want to talk about it.” Peridot said, interrupting Lapis’s thoughts.

“Oh of course, I didn’t mea-”

“It’s fine. There were just some complications. Anyway, do you have any idea what we’re doing?” Peridot asked, looking up at Lapis. Her eyes were very green. Lapis remembered the first time they met, and how fascinated she had been with her eyes. After a moment, Lapis realized she had been staring, and shook her head to clear her mind.

_ ‘What was that?’ _ She wondered. She then remembered why the girl was looking up at her in the first place. 

“I’m not really sure…” She looked across the beach. “We’re just here to hang out, I suppose. Dance, drink, maybe swim.” Lapis offered. Peridot stiffened suddenly.

“I am  _ not _ swimming.” She shivered.

“Why not? It’s really fun. Well, it is when the beach isn’t this… full.” Lapis sighed, longingly looking over at the crowded waters.

“I detest it. Swimming. And crowds, too.” She said, following Lapis’s gaze out into the ocean.

“Oh. You know, if you do want to swim, I’m like one call away. I find it very fun.” Lapis replied.

“Well, your name  _ is _ Lapis which is very similar to the gem Lapis Lazuli, so I’d be astounded if you  _ didn’t  _ like water!” Peridot giggled. Lapis smiled slightly but kept her eyes glued on the ocean.

“My full name  _ is  _ Lapis-Lazuli.” She said bluntly. This caused Peridot to sit up a little straighter.

“Hah! My intuition is better than I ever even knew!” The blonde smiled resting her hands on her hips. “Well, Lazuli, I believe the DJ is calling everyone over to dance, so if you want a chance to swim in unpopulated waters, now’s your chance.” Lapis laughed at Peridot’s smugness.

“You know, I might just do that. See you later.” Lapis smiled. She then stood up and announced to the group where she was going. They all seemed to agree with her idea, and in less than 5 minutes, everyone was ready to go out and swim. Everyone but Peridot.

“You sure you don’t want to come?” Lapis asked.

“I’m sure. Thank you though, Lazuli.” Peridot said, pulling out what seemed like an old Gameboy. Lapis shrugged and ran to join her friend’s in the water.

After swimming for roughly 30 minutes, Lapis knew it was time for them to get out. She could sense a storm approaching, but it seemed stronger than what she predicted back at home. She told her friends that they should all probably get out and get packed, so their things wouldn’t get wet. Everyone knew of Lapis’s almost supernatural way of telling when it would rain, so they rushed back to the beach. Surprisingly, it only took them about 10 minutes, but by the time they finished dark clouds began to gather.

“What do you know, you were right after all.” Bismuth exclaimed as she squinted up into the sky.

“I know I was right. I always am.” Lapis smirked. To her relief, Bismuth laughed at her attempt at a joke, and Lapis could feel her shoulders relaxing.

“What do we do now?” A nasally, but familiar, voice asked.

“Um… find shelter?” An equally annoying voice responded.

“Astute observation, Amethyst. But where pray tell, is this shelter?” Peridot asked.

“I don’t know!” Amethyst shouted. She began looking quickly down the boardwalk while her hand rubbed at her chin. “Aha! Let’s go there!” She pointed at a beat-up pizza restaurant.

“Fish Stew Pizza?” Lapis asked.

“Fish Stew Pizza.” Garnet responded with a slight smile. No one really cared to argue, and they all filed into the pizza place. They decided to sit in a big booth near the entrance, with Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst on one side and Lapis, Peridot, and Steven on the other. Bismuth sat at the head of the table in a lone chair.

“So, what’re we planning on eating?” Bismuth asked, holding up a menu.

“I don’t know, pizza?” Amethyst offered.

“Well, it is a pizza place, so…” Peridot remarked.

“Well, there are many kinds of pizza, so…” Amethyst rebutted.

“Cheese pizza works, right? Maybe a pepperoni one too?” Bismuth said, putting down her menu.

“I personally would like Hawaiian but I’m not sure how many people would enjoy it.” Lapis said, looking around. 

“Ew. Pineapple on pizza? Seriously Lazuli?” Peridot asked. She stared up at Lapis with a look of pure disgust.

“I like pineapple.” Garnet stated. She put down her menu as well. “Maybe we could get Hawaiian for one? Lapis and I would eat it, and I’m sure Amethyst would eat anything.”

“You got that right girl!” Amethyst hollered.

“Ergh ok but it’s still gross.” Peridot sneered. “Can we get a cheese pizza?”

“Can we just get pepperoni and you can take it off?” Bismuth asked.

“I would like cheese…” Pearl said.

“Ok then. We’ll get cheese, Hawaiian, and pepperoni! Is that good?” Amethyst asked. Everyone nodded, so she got up and went to go order. The group remained pretty quiet, just some idle chatting until Amethyst got back. She announced the price, roughly $42. Everyone forked over $6.

“Not bad for pizza, $6.” Lapis said as she pulled the money from her wallet. Everyone nodded in agreement, and soon Amethyst was walking back over to the counter to pay. The pizzas were made fairly quickly but were devoured minutes after they had arrived. By the time they finished their meals, rain began pouring down onto the boardwalk. Amethyst was the first to break the silence.

“Who wants to race me to the parking lot?” She shouted, standing up and running towards the door.

“Oh hell no, you’re  _ not _ winning this one!” Bismuth yelled after her. The two then ran out the door towards the car. Pearl sprinted after them, yelling Amethyst’s name. Garnet then got up and walked to the door.

“I’m going to go as well, I’ll make sure no one slips and dies. Steven, you drove here with me, so let’s go.” With that, Steven and Garnet were hurriedly walking down the boardwalk. The only people left were Lapis and Peridot. Lapis could feel Peridot stiffen at her side. She looked down and saw the girl was cowering into her hoodie.

“Hey, uh,” Lapis’s voice broke through the silence, “are you ok?” She could tell that the blonde definitely  _ wasn’t _ ok, but didn’t want to push her. 

“I am… adequate.” She mumbled. However, right after she said that an enormous boom of thunder shook the pizza place. Peridot jumped up, an expression of fear flashing over her face before she quickly hid it in her hands. Lapis gulped nervously.

_ ‘What the hell am I supposed to do?’ _ She asked herself. She slowly rested a hand on Peridot’s shoulder. This caused the girl to jump slightly, but she didn’t pull away. Lapis kept her hand on Peridot’s shoulder before continuing. 

“We should probably go before it gets worse. Will you be ok?” Lapis asked softly. Peridot looked up at her, tears gathering in her eyes, and mumbled a watery yes. Lapis began to get up but then remembered why she brought a hoodie in the first place. She unraveled it from her waist and put it on, making sure to flip the hood up. She looked over at Peridot and extended her hand.

“Come on, let’s go.” Lapis said. Peridot grabbed her hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Lapis then grabbed her backpack off of the seat and noticed something yellow poking out of it. Her rain poncho! She quickly opened the backpack and pulled it out, trying to put it over herself. She was half-way dressed before she remembered that Peridot was still there. The girl in question was staring out into the rain, wringing her hands and biting her lip. Lapis looked down on her half-way put on poncho and then back at Peridot. She ultimately decided to pull it off and call out Peridot’s name.

“Peridot.” Lapis said. The girl turned around, looking like an absolute wreck.

“Uh, y-yes?” She asked.

“Take my poncho.” Lapis threw the poncho over to the blonde. “You can wear it while we walk to the parking lot.” Peridot grabbed Lapis’s poncho and hesitantly put it on. When she finished, she looked up at the blue-haired girl.

“Thank you, Lapis. I think you should go to the parking lot by yourself though.” Peridot stated.

“Why? You’re obviously scared.” Lapis said. She grabbed the rain poncho’s hood and pulled it up and over Peridot’s head, so no rain would fall onto her face. The blonde blushed deeply and kept her hands, balled in fists, to her side. “Come on, let’s go. It’s just going to get worse.” Lapis pleaded.

“I don’t have a car. I took the bus here. You should go to your car and go to Steven’s or your place or wherever you decide to go. Leave me here. I’ll take the bus when this dies down.” Peridot muttered. Lapis stood there in stunned silence for a second. Now she knew why Peridot was so hesitant about telling everyone why she wasn’t there when everyone else was. Usually, even though she was shocked, Lapis would’ve left it at that. She would’ve shrugged and walked out, leaving whoever it was to fend for themselves. But for some reason, a reason she couldn’t explain even if she tried, she didn’t leave. In fact, she  _ spoke _ .

“I’ll drive you.” She said.

“Really?” Peridot exclaimed. Lapis nodded.

“Let’s just go before I regret it.” She murmured. The two ran out of the door and through the pouring rain. Normally, Lapis would peacefully walk, but she knew the girl beside her would throw a fit if she got soaked. They soon made it to the parking lot and Lapis found her car fairly quickly. They both jumped in, and Lapis shook her head violently, getting Peridot wet and causing her to cry out in protest. Lapis giggled, but stopped, not wanting to make Peridot too upset. She put her hands on the wheel and sighed.

“Guess there’s no DnD.” Peridot mumbled, looking at her phone.

“What do you mean?” Lapis asked.

“Exactly what I just said.” Peridot stated. “There’s no DnD.”

“Ok but why? Also, don’t get smart with me. I can kick you out whenever I want.” Lapis smirked, gesturing to the car door next to Peridot. Peridot gulped.

“Ok ok jeez. Message received. Anyway, Amethyst slipped and rolled her ankle pretty badly. Steven also said something about ‘needing time to think’ so he said we might as well just cancel for the week.” Peridot sighed. She put down her phone and rubbed the bridge between her nose, her glasses lifting up and almost falling off.

“Uh, well, I guess I’m going home then. I can take you home, too. Where do you live?” Lapis asked.

“I’ll direct you. My clodding phone is shit at giving directions, and no offense, but I doubt yours is much better.” Peridot said. Lapis exhaled slightly, smiling in Peridot’s direction.

“Alright, let’s get going then.” The two talked slightly, really only when Peridot would tell Lapis when she needed to turn. However, sometimes someone would make a certain point on the radio and Peridot and Lapis would say some sly comment to each other. It wasn’t bad, Lapis decided. It was actually kind of nice. It was refreshing to have someone to talk to while she drove, even if the person beside her was only spouting directions. All too soon though, Lapis was dropping Peridot off in front of an apartment complex. Lapis hadn’t really paid attention to where she was driving, but as Peridot got out, Lapis noticed that this wasn’t the most ideal place for someone to live. It was pretty dirty, and the area obviously wasn’t well taken care of. Lapis felt bad for Peridot, living here with no car. Peridot made sure to give Lapis's poncho back before she left. Lapis accepted it and said her goodbye’s. She began to drive away, but something compelled her to back up and yell out to Peridot. She couldn’t tell what it was, but what she said made her even more curious.

“Peridot!” She yelled. The blonde turned around and stared at Lapis, obviously wanting to run up into her apartment as quickly as she could.

“Yeah?” She asked.

“What’s your number?” Lapis yelled again. Peridot stood in the rain in stunned silence before taking a deep breath and cupping her hands over her mouth in order to make an impromptu megaphone.

“You clod! We’re in a groupchat together!” Peridot shouted. Lapis felt her face flush with embarrassment.

“My bad! I’ll text you!” With that, Lapis sped off, mentally cursing herself all the way home. When she finally did get home, Lapis walked inside and quickly shed her hoodie. Pumpkin excitedly greeted her, jumping up to lick her face and hands. 

“Hey, girl. How’ve you been?” The dog just whined in response, begging for Lapis’s attention. Lapis obliged, but after a few moments, retreated into her room to get changed into her pj’s. She soon came back out and walked over to the couch, calling Pumpkin to join her. They cuddled as Lapis turned on the TV to watch Camp Pining Hearts. Before she started the show, though, Lapis opened her phone. She read the groupchat, which was just what Peridot described at the boardwalk. She then clicked on Peridot’s name and found her number, which she promptly messaged.

_ Lapis _ \- hey peridot its me lapis

Not expecting a message anytime soon, Lapis set her phone down next to her. However, right as the phone fell down onto the couch, Lapis heard a loud ding. She picked it up and noticed that Peridot  _ just _ responded. She laughed a little before reading the text.

_ Peridot  _ \- Hello Lapis Lazuli, it is me, Peridot Tull. 

_ Lapis  _ \- yeah i know thats why i called you peridot

_ Peridot  _ \- I’m just making sure! You can never be  _ too _ sure Lazuli. Anyway, why did you text me?

_ Lapis  _ \- i just wanted to make sure you got home safe

_ Peridot  _ \- I did, thank you. Did you?   
  


_ Lapis  _ \- yeah

_ Peridot  _ \- Well that’s great. See you next week then?

_ Lapis  _ \- actually speaking of next week do you maybe want a ride

_ Peridot  _ \- Only if you don’t mind.

_ Lapis  _ \- why would i offer if i minded

_ Peridot  _ \- I don’t think you are using minded correctly, but thank you. I shall take you up on your offer.

_ Lapis  _ \- i can revoke my offer yknow

_ Peridot  _ \- Haha. Very funny, Lazuli.

_ Lapis  _ \- im somewhat of a comedic genius

_ Peridot  _ \- So I could tell.

_ Lapis  _ \- anyway i have to go but text me your address so i can pick you up next week

_ Peridot  _ \- Have fun doing whatever it is you’re doing. I don't know the exact address but I know the streets.

_ Lapis _ \- just send me your location next friday

_ Peridot  _ \- I can do that, sure.

Lapis put down her phone with a smile. Maybe she was making a new friend. Steven would be very proud of her if that was the case. Lapis smiled even wider and pulled Pumpkin in for a hug. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV, finally flipping to Camp Pining Hearts. However, she was once again interrupted by her phone dinging. She sighed and looked back at it, but instead of Peridot's name, Steven’s showed up instead.

_ Steven _ \- i have a plan, but i need ur input.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5,743 words. Almost 1,000 words longer than my first chapter! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, as Peridot and Lapis finally got some time together. It took a little bit, but hey, look at them go! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm not sure how long I plan to make this story, but I have a lot of time on my hands right now so it's not going to be short by any means. Anyway, see you next week, and sorry for the cliff hanger :p


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group learns of Steven's plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I want to thank you all for your support! This story has about 450 hits and 30 kudos, which is insane! So thank you everyone who has decided to read this. Secondly, I hope that everyone is doing ok, especially with what is happening in the US and even in some other countries right now. Stay safe! Thirdly, I'm excited to upload this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you again for reading :)!

The past week had gone by slower than usual for Lapis. Instead of drifting into a comfortable blur, Lapis’s days were noticeable, meaning she could actually _remember_ instead of them being just some x on her calendar. For instance, on Monday, she had trouble getting her GPS to work, so instead of driving straight home she drove around the town a little bit and got to see things she normally wouldn’t have, like the new park they had renovated near her neighborhood or the statues next to the Town Hall. On Tuesday and Thursday, Lapis had actually eaten breakfast before work and it made those two days much better than they would’ve been. Lapis was kind of scared by this new transition. Before DnD, she lost track of time, and everything blurred together as what Lapis perceived as just a long day. After DnD, that blur started losing momentum, always fizzling out on Friday but coming right back until the next Friday had arrived. It’s been a month since she started DnD, and before then, they all passed her by in a blur. Now, her _days_ are becoming noticeable and Lapis can remember them actually happening. Of course, Lapis can’t remember all of them, but the fact that she could remember _any_ day other than Friday or that one Saturday at the beach was remarkable to her. Overall though, it had been a pretty good week, which was nothing to scoff at considering most of the time she barely noticed a week passing by. The only downside was that she had Steven’s conversation hanging over her head the entire time. She frequently checked the messages to know what she was getting into, and this morning was no different. Almost immediately after waking up, Lapis had opened her phone to let her eyes drift back down to the conversation.

_Steven_ \- i have a plan but i need ur input.

_Lapis_ \- sure what is it

_Steven_ \- so u kno how i need people to come to the cabins? for that promotion?

_Lapis_ \- yeah i know

_Steven_ \- welllll, i have a plan 4 it! what if evry1 in the dnd group goes? there r 8 cabins that i can “rent” out 2 the group!

_Lapis_ \- is this even legal dude

_Steven_ \- idk y it wouldnt be! u guys will just sign up w/ ur names but ill apply my employees discount!

_Lapis_ \- i dont think this is going to work

_Steven_ \- eh i manage the sales so i can say u r all from a sister park.

_Lapis_ \- this sounds sketchy bro

_Steven_ \- well i kno kevin has done it! i should be able 2 as well.

_Lapis_ \- but then youre just as bad as him

_Steven_ \- no im doin it 4 a good cause! 2 help evry1 get closer and to help me get the promotion i need to help the park! if kevin wins he wants 2 get rid of it.

_Lapis_ \- ok yeah thats pretty bad but how is this even going to work i dont have that much money

_Steven_ \- w/ my discount, barely anything. trust me, itll work. We can tell the group the plan next dnd session, ok?

_Lapis_ \- ok

The conversation had been weighing her down all week. Lapis was nervous; nervous that something bad would happen to Steven with his job, such as him losing the chance at the promotion or his job altogether, or physically with everyone in the cabin. Not to mention that Lapis really valued her alone time, and a weekend away from society yet also being surrounded by people didn’t seem like the best way to spend her time. She was still going to go though, mainly because she wanted to support Steven. Also, if she _had_ said no, she probably would’ve been met with his puppy dog eyes the moment she came over for DnD. And who knows, maybe they’ll be fine. Maybe it’ll even be good. Not that she’ll get her hopes up, of course.

Lapis sighed softly as she stretched, She slowly rose up from her bed and forced herself to stand. She made her way to the bathroom to freshen herself up for work, stopping right before the entrance to say a light ‘good morning’ to Pumpkin. She decided on no makeup, as the pool water would quickly wash that away, but she brushed her hair out until it looked like she took care of herself. She tied it up in a high ponytail and brushed her teeth. Steven has always called Lapis a monster, for many reasons, but mainly because she brushed her teeth before she ate food. He claimed that it completely ruined the point of brushing her teeth in the first place, but Lapis didn’t care. She didn’t really eat breakfast anyway - well, before this Tuesday. She might have to reconsider her daily routine now though, as yogurt and toothpaste are never a good combination. 

After Lapis finished getting ready, she made her way to the kitchen to fill up Pumpkin’s food bowl and collect her things. She pet Pumpkin goodbye and grabbed her breakfast, which consisted of a small yogurt container and a banana, her premade lunch of a salad and granola bar, and her duffel bag of work clothes/items on her way out. 

  
She made it to work pretty quickly - almost 10 minutes early. That gave Lapis enough time to sit in the breakroom and finish her breakfast before her first customer came in. Today, it was a little boy: very quiet with a spike of blonde hair. She couldn’t remember his name, but it wasn’t like that was new for her. She never had to address them by name, anyway. Just shout words of encouragement and teach them certain techniques they’d need to know. It really varied on what each kid needed to be taught. There were instances in which some of them had never even seen a body of water as large as this in their entire life, whereas some came in expecting to be taught by a professional ex-Olympian swimmer. Most of the time though, they were young kids who needed help with the basics, such as how to float or how not to doggy paddle. Maybe even some simple swimming strokes, if they were advanced enough, and wanted to learn it. 

Today, however, Lapis would just be teaching the basics. Again. 

While it is a bit tedious to just repeat training over and over again, she appreciated the fact that the kid was always changing. Different personalities always made each lesson different, and that broke up the monotony of her job. She was lucky for that, and she knew it. It didn’t make it any easier when she had to work with “problem children”. Usually, with those kinds of kids, it was really easy to tell why they acted out: their parents. Half the time, a kid was labeled a problem child only because their parents were awful to work with. To Lapis’s relief, there was nothing bad about the kid she was going to be teaching, other than he was a little eccentric. ‘He just liked to have his fun,’ she remembered his mother saying. Nonetheless, she was going to get her job done.

Almost on cue, the door jingled and Lapis knew exactly who was about to walk through the door. Well, minus the name. Lapis has always been terrible with names. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lapis soon learned that the boy was much more than eccentric. It turns out, he didn’t even talk! Or, he didn’t like to anyway. She also remembered his name only because of how weird it was: Onion. Who names their kid Onion? Lapis sighed and went to go clean up the mess they made. It had been a relatively easy job though, honestly. He was kind of all over the place, trying to jump out of the pool and run into the supply room, but Lapis caught him every time and made sure he got back to where he belonged.

_‘I could be a child wrangler.’_ She said to herself, smiling. _‘No, that's basically a kindergarten teacher.’_ Lapis stopped smiling and shuddered at the thought of having to teach a class of 40 uncontrollable little kids all hyped up on sugar and the adrenaline of being in a new space. Like she said before, Lapis was lucky to be working here. She finished up her cleaning and went to go grab her phone to see the time. Onion had taken a lot of it, considering he wasn’t in the pool the entirety of the lesson. It was practically lunchtime, and Lapis was able to persuade Lars to let her take her break earlier since her next client wasn’t coming until around 2. She also made sure to put her premade lunch in the fridge before work started, and she happily ate while talking to Sadie. Today was shaping up to be good, Lapis decided. Hopefully, the rest of the day would end the same.

Lapis had finished her break all too soon, but her next client was over and done with just as quickly. She waved goodbye to her colleagues and jumped into the car. She picked up her phone and saw all the notifications she missed, mainly from the DnD groupchat. She didn’t really care to read it though, so she just skimmed through it. Like usual, Amethyst was making some joke that nobody but Steven understood, and by the time she explained to either Pearl or Peridot, it wasn’t funny anymore. Though Lapis would argue it wasn’t ever funny. She tapped out of the groupchat and went to her messages with Peridot. They had been getting along well recently, sometimes cracking jokes with memes or videos, or just talking about their day and how it went. Lapis was very grateful for it, as it made her feel more comfortable around her. She was still hesitant to call the small blonde a friend, but she was more than an acquaintance. She was in the in-between area, but that’s not a bad thing. For Lapis, it was almost exciting. It’s been forever since she’s made a new friend, not counting work friends or clients, who were young kids, that asked her to be their new best friend. Of course she accepted, but she never really saw a kid more than a few times, so being their best friend was really only a short term matter. Lapis smiled softly as she remembered some of the kids she was able to meet, but quickly snapped out of it as she read through her and Peridot’s message. It seems like she forgot to answer Peridot’s “very important question” before she left for work.

_Peridot_ \- Lazuli, I have a question for you.

_Peridot_ \- It’s pretty important you know, but take your time.

_Peridot_ \- Lazuli! I require your assistance!

_Peridot_ \- I suppose I’ll just wait then. Hopefully this reaches you before you come pick me up.

_Lapis_ \- hey just got off of work

_Peridot_ \- Oh thank the stars you’re here! I need you to answer a very important question.

_Lapis_ \- sure what is it

_Peridot_ \- How do you send your location?

Lapis stared at the screen for a moment. Her small smile soon grew into a look of disbelief, but then pure joy. She laughed at the girl’s comment before composing herself, though she took longer than she’d be willing to admit.

_Lapis_ \- why didnt you just look it up

_Peridot_ \- I tried! I just couldn’t find anything! The technology I have is so primitive, so _sorry_ if I couldn’t find some clodding advice on how to work this shitty phone!

_Lapis_ \- its ok dude just tell me the name of your apartments and i can look them up

_Peridot_ \- Delmarva Apartments.

_Lapis_ \- wow wouldnt you know i just found it on my phone so much for my phone having a shitty gps

_Peridot_ \- Well maybe yours isn’t shitty but mine sure is. I’ll see you soon then?

_Lapis_ \- see you soon peri

_Peridot_ \- That’s not my name.

_Lapis_ \- you call me lazuli its only fair

_Peridot_ \- Fine then, but that’s such a dumb nickname!

_Lapis_ \- sorry peri thats just the way the cookie crumbles

_Peridot_ \- You’re insufferable.

_Lapis_ \- see you in 10

Lapis giggled at the conversation and put her phone down in the cup holder next to her. She listened to the radio on the way to Peridot’s apartment, softly humming to the songs that played. Lapis didn’t necessarily _hate_ radio music, but she definitely had her preferences. Pop wasn’t really one of them, she was more into “non-radio” things. She listened to all sorts of music, sure, but she really preferred smaller grunge bands. She used to have CDs, but they were left on her move here. If she had the nerve to go back to Empire City, it would only be to get her CDs back from her old apartment. She was never stepping foot in there again, though. So, unfortunately, those CDs were lost, unless she can find somewhere to buy them or maybe find a way to illegally download them. She debated the idea the entire drive, all the way up until she got to Peridot’s apartment. 

“Hey, Lapis!” Peridot yelled, waving her arms in the air. Lapis rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless as she unlocked the car for her to get in.

“That was actually pretty quick!” Peridot marveled, buckling her seatbelt. “It usually takes me an hour both ways to get to Steven’s house.”

“That’s a long time.” Lapis remarked, focusing on getting the car out of the driveway and not too much on what Peridot was saying. The blonde didn’t seem to notice though, and kept rambling about the bus until Lapis finally got them out of the apartment parking lot.

“Ugh, those bus systems, like what are they even thinking? The way they set the routes up in this town, it’s something I’ve never seen before. Ridiculous, honestly. Anyway, how was your day?” Peridot looked up at Lapis.

“Pretty good. I taught some kids how to swim and cleaned a pool for 8 hours. How about you?”

“You work at a pool?” Peridot asked. Lapis nodded in response. “No wonder you smell of chlorine.” Peridot joked.

“Well, I had to come pick up your sorry ass so I didn’t have much time to shower.” Lapis joked back, smiling at her retort.

“Hey, you offered!” The pair laughed until Peridot cleared her throat. “My day was fine, I just went to a class and did some homework. Pretty boring.”

“How is the college here though?” Lapis asked, her hands tightening on the steering wheel.

“Not too bad, though I wouldn’t say it’s the best. It’s a community college so you get what you pay for. Or lack thereof. It does have one of the best computer engineering programs on this side of the country though, and for the price, that’s nothing to scoff at.” Peridot said proudly. She crossed her arms, puffing her chest out a little bit. Lapis had to stifle a laugh, as it was clear the girl was trying to impress her.

“Computer engineering? That’s nerd stuff.” Peridot’s arms and chest dropped when Lapis spoke. Lapis could feel her tense up next to her.

“It is _not_ ‘nerd stuff’! It’s what drives our community! Our nation! The _world_! It’s something that everyone values, or should value anyway, and it’s one of the building blocks of our-”

“Hey, okay! I get it, I get it. It’s not nerd stuff, it’s _important_ nerd stuff. Sorry, I must have misunderstood.” Lapis began to laugh as Peridot’s face fell into a look of disgust.

“I can’t believe you sometimes, Lazuli.” Peridot said. Lapis noticed a slight blush on her face, but Peridot quickly turned away before she could see anything more. Lapis smiled, knowing that she successfully embarrassed her. Before Lapis could say anything else though, they had arrived at Steven’s house. They both got out and Peridot walked ahead quickly as Lapis stayed behind to grab her things from the car.

_‘I wonder what’s up with her’_ Lapis thought as she grabbed her phone from the cup holder. _‘I might’ve teased her too much, but that didn’t seem like that was the problem…’_ Lapis shrugged it off and locked the car on her way into the house.

Her and Peridot were the first to arrive as Lapis, like usual, made sure she was early enough to help Steven set-up for the party members. When she got down to the basement, she saw that Peridot and Steven were already finished setting-up the snacks and drinks.

“Wow, that was fast. I didn’t know I took that long to get down here.” Lapis chuckled nervously.

“Actually Steven was almost done by the time I got down here anyway, you didn’t miss much.” Peridot replied, grabbing a single chaaaap and examining it closely.

“I appreciate how you come early all the time to help, but I thought this time I’d get the jump on you and start earlier!” Steven smiled.

“But I like helping you!” Lapis exclaimed. “Consider it payback for you introducing me to this game.”

“No, it’s really okay! I was happy to introduce you!” Steven replied. The pair playfully argued back for a while until Peridot’s groan interrupted them. 

“Okay, okay. I’m still here, in case you forgot.” She grumbled.

“Oh, how I wish I could forget.” Lapis joked, causing Steven to laugh. Peridot’s face flushed and her expression shifted into a heavy grimace. She huffed and crossed her arms as Steven and Lapis’s laughter grew even more. They were soon interrupted as they heard footsteps coming down into the basement. Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, and Bismuth came walking down the stairs laughing.

“And I was like, oh it’s Bismuth time!” Bismuth yelled, flexing her arms and kissing each bicep. Pearl laughed heartily at the joke, even resting her hand on the muscular woman's bicep. Lapis could swear she saw a glint of envy in Amethyst’s eyes but decided to ignore it. Eventually, they all settled down and said their hellos to Lapis, Peridot, and Steven. Lapis could immediately sense some tension in the room.

_‘Not this shit again.’_ She said to herself as she rubbed her forehead with her hand. Luckily for her, Steven started the session almost immediately when everyone arrived. He shot her a look before doing so, and she knew that he knew something was off in the group. They both just looked away, silent agreement that, if things got messy, Steven would just call it off like he did last time. Lapis really hope they wouldn’t come to that, this was the first session in ages where all of them were back. Hopefully, everything would turn out alright.

Steven announced to everyone what happened last time, to refresh everyone who was present and to get those who missed out up to speed. It was short, but sweet, and soon everyone was picking up their character sheets as Steven detailed what they were about to do next. Once Steven spoke, the tension in the room dissipated, and Lapis breathed out a small sigh of relief, thankful that she would be able to play the game normally for the first time in weeks.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The game passed by relatively smoothly and Lapis was very, very grateful for that. The group had fought through some gang’s hideout under a manor and discovered some crazy, mind-reading monster that demanded all of the party’s rations. However, thanks to Peridot, she negotiated to give up half of the rations and throw in some of the dead guards they had killed earlier in the session. To Lapis’s surprise, Peridot’s ration stock amounted to half of all the rations in the group, and she willingly gave them all over. Lapis expected that out of Pearl, maybe Bismuth, hell, maybe even _Amethyst_ but never Peridot. Beyond that, the girl was going out of her way to help everyone in the game, mainly Lapis and Pearl as they were both spellcasters. She would move in front of them if attacking guards were charging, or use her turn to help heal them. Lapis was fully surprised and made sure to thank her every time it happened. Peridot would only reply with a slight blush and a small “you’re welcome” before they’d be swept up into battle. It was nice, Lapis decided.

The session ended all too soon though, and everyone was pretty sad to have to leave on a cliffhanger, right before they discovered what was in the manor. Lapis was alright with that, though. Just something for her to look forward to next session. Everyone was packing up and getting ready to leave, but Steven called for their attention before they left. 

“Hey guys, before you go, I have a little plan I would like to propose!” He said. Everyone turned in his direction expectantly before he went on. “I was thinking, we need some real bonding time to make this thing better than ever. Well, it just so happens that my work is offering some really cheap cabins for all of us to stay in! It’s not too far from here, just up in Cliffside. I already have payment taken care of as it’s on me, all I need is for you guys to say yes!” He finished his speech with a bright smile.

“Honestly, Steven, that sounds wonderful.” Pearl said, clasping her hands together. “When would we be expected at these cabins? I only ask because I might need to get time off for work.”

“It would probably in 2 weeks from now. I all know you’re free Friday evening so we can go then! Unless anyone has conflicting work on the weekend?” Steven asked. Lapis sighed in relief for the second time tonight, thankful that this wouldn’t be happening on a workday. She couldn’t afford to miss work, and she kind of wanted to go to this. While she was silently celebrating, Amethyst spoke out.

“I don't know dude,” she said, “I have work Sunday.” Lapis stopped celebrating.

“I have to work Sunday as well.” Garnet said, adjusting her sunglasses.

“Uh… anyone else?” Steven asked nervously. No one said anything, and Steven began writing down something. “Well, Amethyst, you can just leave early and not be here for Sunday and Garnet you can do the same. Does that work?”

Garnet and Amethyst shared a look and then quickly turned to Steven, nodding. Steven smiled brightly once again and looked at Lapis.

“What about you, are you free?” He asked.

“You already know my answer.” She replied, looking at her nails.

“What about you Peridot?” Steven asked, this time looking over at Peridot.

“I uh… I’m not sure. I think I might be free, but I’ll have to let you know later if that’s ok.” She spoke quickly, arms straight against her side, and her hands balled up into fists. Lapis would even go as far as to say the girl was embarrassed, but she had no idea why. Until Steven asked everyone who they would be rooming with, that is.

“Alright, we have 8 cabins, which means 2 people per cabin. I’m already with Connie so that leaves me out and also one cabin out.” He announced proudly. Lapis glanced over at him with a look of betrayal, but Steven didn’t even look her way. In fact, he was completely avoiding eye contact with her.

_‘Ugh, he knew I’d be upset about this… who am I gonna room with?’_ She asked herself, looking around the room. She already knew Amethyst and Pearl would be roomed, so neither of them. She also saw Bismuth slap her hand on Garnet’s back, so she assumed they’d be rooming together. That only left her and Peridot. No wonder the girl seemed embarrassed before, them rooming together was the only logical conclusion. Lapis sighed and looked over to Peridot, but before she could open her mouth, Steven shooed them all out of the basement with a quick goodbye and a “text me later when you have your roomie!” Lapis was not very amused but left anyway.

The drive to Peridot’s apartment was oddly quiet, a stark contrast to how it was on the ride from it. Lapis didn't like it one bit, and she tried to make conversation to try and drive the silence out. It always fell flat on its face though, and Lapis ultimately decided that Peridot just did not want to talk to her. By the time they got to Peridot’s apartment, each party was grateful to be leaving such an awkward situation, but before Peridot could officially leave, Lapis turned around in her seat and tugged on the blonde’s sleeve. Peridot whipped around with an incredulous look on her face and Lapis immediately dropped her hand. However, she had Peridot’s attention now, and she wasn’t going to waste it.

“Are you okay?” She asked, pulling her hands into her lap.

“Uh, yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” Peridot asked. Lapis bit her lip and mentally cursed herself for asking such a dumb question.

“Nevermind, I just thought something was wrong. You’ve been really quiet tonight, which is pretty unlike you.” She said, trying to add a joke in order to calm the conversation.

“Heh. Wow, thanks.” The girl responded, shaking her head. “It’s just, I don’t know how I feel about camping with everyone. I don’t really _know_ them all too well, plus, there’s probably no internet and we’ll most likely be doing a lot of walking. Those are two of the worst things that could happen to me!” Lapis laughed at Peridot’s rant, making sure to compose herself before responding.

“Sorry, it’s not funny.” Lapis said, stifling a giggle. “I was just going to ask if maybe you’d room with me? I mean, I’ve known everyone there for quite a while, but they also feel kind of distant. It’s hard to put into words. Anyway, you don’t have to room with me if you want, I just think that since we’re friends it wou-”

“You think we’re friends, Lazuli?” Peridot interrupted. Lapis blushed. She didn’t mean to say that. Not that she didn’t mean they weren’t friends, she just didn’t know she would be saying it so soon. But it was just a friendship, why is it so hard for Lapis to call it that? 

“Yeah, I’d say we are.” She said, interrupting her own thoughts.

“Well. I didn’t think you thought of me as one. That’s nice to know.” Peridot said, smiling slightly.

“I could just revoke it, you know.” Lapis teased.

“Uh huh, sure Lazuli. Anyway, I suppose I will room with you. If I can go. Still debating on that, seeing as I have college classes that give out way too much homework. You know how it is.” Peridot sighed.

“Yeah, I do. Well, I’ll see you later then, Peri.” Lapis waved and drove off before Peridot could say anything about the “stupid” nickname.

Lapis was happy to be home, happy to finally shower and wash the smell of chlorine off of her and eat dinner. And, of course, happy to see her favorite dog. Pumpkin was also very happy to see her and made sure to get her pets in before demanding that she be fed. Lapis complied and happily made her dog dinner, while also fixing herself a bowl of cereal. She ate it quickly, trying to jump in the shower before it was “too late” for her to wash herself. She decided that anytime after 10 was not a time to shower. She lived by that, and ate quickly enough for her to meet her deadline. She stood in the shower and let the water fall over her as she thought of her day, and thankfully, she could say that today was a good day. It had been happening more often, and she was grateful for that. She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off before putting on her pj’s. She decided that tonight was the night she went to bed semi-early, though she was a little sad she couldn’t watch any Camp Pining Hearts.

“That’s what tomorrow’s for, eh girl?” She said, leaning down to scratch Pumpkin’s head. The dog barked in agreement and waited patiently for Lapis to finish getting ready for the night. It was mainly her just taking care of her teeth and skin, so luckily for Pumpkin, it was over pretty quickly. Once she finished, the dog excitedly led Lapis to her bed and jumped on it, cementing herself on the bed and wagging her tail, almost pleading Lapis to join her. Lapis obliged and settled under the covers, letting Pumpkin worm her way into Lapis’s arms before they both fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4,801 words. Not nearly as big as the last chapter, but the 2nd biggest overall I believe. I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger last week, so I hope this makes up for it. I'm not sure if the whole "barely being friends but having to spend the weekend as roommates in a cabin" is cliche or not, but regardless, I'm really excited to write it in a couple of weeks! I hope you enjoyed it and you all have a safe and productive week!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry I'm uploading so late. I woke up late unfortunately and had to do some chores. This chapter is a little shorter than usual, mostly because I've been kinda stumped lately at how I wanted this one to come out. It's ok though, I'll make up for the length next week ;). Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and sorry again for uploading later than I intended.

Another week had passed, and Lapis was feeling better and better each day. In fact, yesterday, she felt happy. Well, almost. She still got annoyed when the kid she was teaching refused to get into the pool and she cursed herself for forgetting her lunch, but for some reason, that didn’t ruin her day. She still managed to make something out of it, which was new. Usually when anything bad happened, even if it was something simple and not even that big of a problem, Lapis would be lamenting over it all day. Maybe even into the next if she got a chance. Things were finally changing for Lapis and she couldn’t be happier. Well, maybe if her alarm stopped ringing. That would make her pretty happy.

Lapis rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up on her bed. Instead of tossing her phone somewhere on her bed or on the floor, she opted on putting it on her little nightstand. She reached her arm out and lazily hit the stop button. After staring at the wall for a few moments, Lapis rose from her bed and pulled herself to her feet, using her nightstand as leverage. She then grabbed her phone and noticed she had a new message.

_ ‘Who the hell is up this early?’ _ She asked herself, opening her phone.  _ ‘Of course.’  _ She said to herself as she opened her messages to see Peridot’s name flash on the screen. She smiled softly and opened the message, expecting some meme about college or work or waking up early. She got none of those, though, just a message that read:

_ Peridot  _ \- No need for you to take me to Steven’s place. I have prior commitments so I will not be able to attend the session. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.

Lapis stared at her phone for a minute, her eyes narrowing as she bit the inside of her cheek. On all accounts, this should be a good thing. Lapis should be happy now that she doesn’t have to waste extra gas and time or endure any possible awkward silences as they drive. However, Lapis  _ wasn’t _ relieved. In fact, she was almost…

Sad.

“Sad?” She said, dropping her phone on the bed and running her hand through her hair. “This isn’t something to be sad about Lapis, pull yourself together.” She muttered under her breath. She hadn’t been “sad” in a few days now and she really really didn’t want to ruin it. In fact, she hadn’t really felt any negative emotion other than fleeting annoyance or anger. She took a deep breath and picked up her phone, attempting to respond to Peridot’s message. She constantly had to type and retype; nothing was coming out right. This was odd for Lapis indeed.

_ Lapis  _ \- its not an inconvenience peridot

_ Peridot  _ \- Maybe not to you, but I think of it as one. Anyway, I do hope you all enjoy your time.

_ Lapis  _ \- why cant you come

_ Peridot  _ \- A clodding class. I have a huge exam tomorrow afternoon that I really need to study for.

_ Lapis  _ \- damn well good luck

_ Peridot  _ \- Thanks for the luck, Lazuli. I’ll need it. Also, please tell Steven that I plan to attend his little cabin thing next week, I made sure there weren’t any exams.

_ Lapis  _ \- of course

_ Peridot  _ \- Thank you.

Lapis closed out her messages and made her way to the bathroom. She quickly got ready for work and made her way to the kitchen to greet Pumpkin and give her some breakfast. Pumpkin was excited as ever to see her and made sure to give Lapis kisses anywhere she could.

“Pumpkin come on that’s gross!” She giggled as she jokingly pushed the dog away. Once Pumpkin calmed down, Lapis set herself on filling up the dog’s bowl before she went to the fridge to grab her breakfast. She suddenly remembered yesterday’s lunch debacle so she made sure to not leave her lunch this time, throwing it into her work bag. Lapis quickly got dressed in her uniform and grabbed her swimsuit from off the shower hanger. She actually did her laundry early for once, and silently congratulated herself for it as she shoved the suit into her bag. After double-checking and making sure she had everything on her, Lapis gave Pumpkin a pet goodby. She headed out of her house and into her car, making sure to lock the front door behind her. She settled into the car and began to drive to work, listening to the radio on her way there. A feeling was creeping into Lapis’s heart, and while it wasn’t something new, it definitely wasn’t invited. Despite the pep talk she had given to herself this morning, Lapis couldn’t shake the feeling of sadness. It wasn’t a debilitating sadness, Lapis knew what that felt like. It was more of a small, nagging sadness. Something that wasn’t a big deal, but didn’t necessarily make sense either. She shouldn’t be sad that Peridot can’t make it to the DnD game. She wasn’t even sad when Amethyst and Pearl couldn’t come, actually, she was relieved.

“So why am I sad now?” She said to herself at a red light. Lapis thought for a moment, but nothing made sense. “She’s like my second favorite person there. Maybe that’s why?” She debated. However, the light turned green and Lapis had to leave, pausing her thoughts for the morning. She sighed and hoped that by the end of the day, maybe this feeling would go away.

She pulled into the parking lot shortly after and made her way into the building. She was greeted by an overly enthusiastic Lars.

“I’ve never seen you so lively.” Lapis commented as she walked to the back to clock in.

“Oh, well, I just put in my notice!” He said, smiling.

“You’re quitting?” She asked. She turned around to him with an incredulous look on her face. “Why are you doing that? I thought you really liked it here.”

“What gave you  _ that  _ impression?” He sneered. “I just got an amazing opportunity at this bakery is all. I really love to bake, plus they offered me more money and nicer hours. How could I say no?” He had his hands intertwined and under his chin, staring at Lapis with an almost teary-eyed look.

“I wouldn’t have said no in your position.” Lars relaxed when she said that, realizing how odd he must’ve looked and sheepishly corrected his position. “Who’s taking your place?” Lapis asked.

“Sadie I think. Or some new guy. How should I know? I’m leaving in two weeks.” Lars said flippantly. He made his way out from the break room and to the front when he heard the door open, leaving Lapis alone. She shrugged and sat down, finishing up her breakfast and waiting for her client to come. She soon realized that they weren’t coming in until 10 am and it was only about 8. With a sigh, Lapis got up and made her way to the pool to start cleaning in hopes of speeding up her waiting time.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After dealing with one of the worst kids Lapis had ever had the misfortune to meet, she was finally able to clock out and get to her car. She took a deep breath and rested her head against the back of the seat, exhaling when she closed her eyes.

The day had gone just about how she expected it to; until  _ she  _ showed up. Somehow, this child had a British accent even though her parents were American. No one commented on it though which made Lapis even more confused. She wore all blue and had a really odd marker tattoo on her face, almost like a teardrop under her eye. Now that really set alarm bells off for Lapis, but when she asked the parents, they just laughed and called her an “artist”. Lapis just assumed that maybe her looks and voice would be deceiving, but she was wrong. So, so wrong. The girl refused to listen to Lapis and instead used the pool as her personal playground. Lapis was very lucky that no one else had another client at the time, but that still didn’t make the job any easier. Those 2 hours of swimming after her exhausted Lapis, but in all honesty, it felt more like 6. 

However, the interaction with the girl had made Lapis so tired that she practically got over the sadness from this morning. That was very relieving to hear, and she decided that it was the only good thing that girl had ever done for her. Other than getting her paid, but she really didn’t know if what she was getting paid was actually worth the inconvenience she had to put up with. 

Lapis finally pulled herself up and grabbed her phone. She opened it up and hovered over the DnD groupchat. For a second, Lapis considered texting them and telling them that she couldn’t go. Then she remembered Peridot’s message that she needed to convey to Steven, and even though she  _ could _ do it over text, it just wouldn’t make sense. If Peridot wanted it delivered over text she would’ve texted Steven and not included Lapis in any of it, so obviously Peridot wanted Lapis to tell Steven in person. Or that’s what Lapis assumed, anyway. She sadly put down her phone and started her car.

“Maybe I’m looking too much into this.” She said to herself. Shrugging, Lapis turned up the radio, opting for news rather than songs. The songs are better in the morning but the news is better in the early evening Lapis had learned, but even then sometimes there are variables and Lapis isn’t always correct. Today though, she was, and she thoroughly enjoyed the “mini news” segment today. Apparently there were such things as moss ducklings and Lapis was dying to see one. Alas, she had to keep driving, but the minute she arrived at Steven's house she whipped out her phone and searched up “Golden Plover ducklings”. She immediately sent a couple of images to Peridot, as this was  _ definitely _ something the short, nerdy girl would love. Lapis put her phone in her pocket and walked into Steven’s house, earlier than she’s ever been. She made her way into the basement and saw Steven playing some game on his TV.

“Whatcha playing?” Lapis asked, sitting down next to him. Steven veered his controller to the right, completely ignoring Lapis. She waited for a moment to see if he would respond, but to no avail. “Well, have fun with that.” Lapis said as she got up to go set up the snacks. Steven just grunted in response, obviously very invested in his game. After a few minutes, Lapis had gotten all of the drinks labeled and was even halfway through setting-up the snacks. However, she was interrupted when Steven let out a muffled scream and tossed his remote next to himself.

“I’m assuming you lost?” Lapis asked, resuming her task of filling up bowls with chips.

“Yes, unfortunately. I was so close too!” Steven whined. Lapis gave him a small pat on the back in order to cheer him up, but it didn’t seem to work that well. He sighed and got up to help Lapis with her task.

“You doing ok Steven?” She asked once they had finished.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I suppose I’m a  _ little  _ worried about the cabin thing because I really don’t want any fights breaking out or anything but it’s hard to tell when Amethyst and Pearl are present. Also, you and I both saw how jealous Amethyst looked when Pearl was talking with Bismuth and I just don’t think I could deal with an argument up there.” He said, rubbing his forehead.

“Yeah, they can get ugly, but is that all you’re worried about?” Lapis asked. Steven nodded and looked down at his feet. Lapis believed there was something more, but she didn’t push as pushing Steven to share his feelings is almost impossible. She’s learned to just wait until he confesses it himself, as it’s more comfortable for the both of them. After a slight pause, Lapis remembered what Peridot told her to tell Steven.

“By the way, speaking of the cabins,” Lapis started, toying with her empty cup, “Peridot said she would be going. She also wanted me to tell you that she wasn’t coming today for DnD though I think she already mentioned it in the groupchat.”

“She did, but thanks for telling me.” Steven said as he smiled brightly at Lapis. “I’m really glad she can come! It wouldn’t be the same without her honestly.”

“Yeah, she can be annoying, but she has her moments. Sometimes.” Lapis giggled. Steven giggled as well, but she could sense that something still wasn’t right. Maybe just this once, she should press.

“What’s wrong, Steven?” Lapis asked, getting up from the couch and staring at Steven. Before she could answer though, Garnet, Bismuth, Amethyst, and Pearl all decided to arrive at once.

_ ‘Wonderful’  _ Lapis thought, hearing 3/4s of the group laughing like maniacs while the other was chastising them for being loud. Steven stuck his tongue out at Lapis before turning and greeting the new arrivals. Lapis sighed heavily and sat back down on the couch. After a few moments, the group had finally settled down and were ready to play some DnD. Steven laid out the story and told everyone about the abandoned village they had stumbled upon. From there, they raided all of the ruins and earned some nice loot, Lapis reminding Steven to make sure Peridot’s share was calculated before they moved on. They eventually found themselves in a few battles, but the monsters were defeated in a timely manner. By the time the session had ended, the only real accomplishment they had was clearing out an entire village only to be chased away by a dragon in the end. Lapis had almost died, but luckily Amethyst finally stepped up to be a cleric, and Lapis was saved. Overall, it was a pretty mediocre session of DnD. Lapis decided that it was good enough and by the time it finished she was kind of relieved it was over. Not that she didn’t enjoy the session; it just wasn’t very fun this time around. For some reason.

_ ‘Maybe next time…’ _ she thought to herself. She didn’t  _ have _ to like every session anyway. Everyone began to pack up and leave for the day, leaving Lapis and Steven alone to clean the mess. They cleaned in relative silence up until Lapis had to go. They exchanged goodbyes and Lapis considered leaving. However, Lapis couldn’t when she knew something was up with Steven, so against her better judgment, Lapis asked one more time.

“What’s upsetting you, Steven?”

“It’s really nothing Lapis, it’s just stress about people fighting and the general stress of trying to plan a vacation!” He said, attempting to defend himself. Lapis saw right through it, though.

“This has something to do with Kevin, huh?” She asked. Steven stared at her for a moment with a confused look, trying to look like he had no idea what she was talking about. After he realized Lapis caught on, he dropped the act and let out a defeated sigh.

“Yes, it does,” he admitted, “I’m just scared he’s going to outdo me. I really need this cabin thing to work so I can get somewhere with my boss, but what if it falls through? What if something illegal happens? I mean  _ technically _ I’m not doing anything illegal it’s just not really uh… what someone in my position should do. But also, Kevin did it! So don’t I have the same ability as him?” Lapis waited a moment before responding, allowing herself to take everything he said in. 

“The cabin thing will work. Everyone’s willing and wanting to go. Also, I’ll make sure nothing illegal happens and I’ll try my best to deescalate any fights. I can’t be 100% certain but I doubt anyone would do anything that would cost you your job. They all care about you very much, Steven.” She said, trying to encourage her best friend.

“Thank you, Lapis. I know they care, it's just that it can be clouded sometimes.” He said, wringing his hands.

“I’ll make sure they’re not clouded.” Lapis winked and gave Steven a fake punch. The pair laughed a bit before Lapis continued. “You know, if Kevin can get away with something like this, I’m sure as hell you can get away with it. You’d probably do it 1,000 times better at that. From what I’ve heard, he’s dumb as rocks.”

“He  _ is _ dumb as rocks.” Steven agreed. Then his face faltered for a moment, looking like he was deep in thought. Then, his eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face as he jumped up from the couch. “That’s it! I just have to be  _ smarter  _ than him! That will be so easy. Thank you, Lapis!” Steven said, pulling Lapis up and wrapping her in a big bear hug, When he finally dropped her, he began to giggle and rub his chin, almost as if he was concocting an evil plan. Lapis brushed herself off and started heading upstairs.

“I’ll leave you alone to think about your master plan, then. See you next Friday!” She waved. Steven didn’t wave back or even recognize her departure. Lapis shrugged and giggled, making her way outside and to her car.

The drive home went by _very_ quickly, which Lapis was thankful for. She busted open the door and ran straight for Pumpkin, holding her in her arms and cooing at the lab as she held her. After Pumpkin was done with her greeting, she trotted over to her food bowl and sat herself down next to it. She looked up at Lapis expectantly, and Lapis definitely got the hint. She started making Pumpkin’s dinner, and when she finished, she made herself a measly microwave dinner. She finished heating it up and sat down in front of the TV to binge some Camp Pining Hearts as she ate.

After about an hour, Lapis had finished her meal and 1 and a half episodes of Camp Pining Hearts. She decided to get changed into her pj’s and then brush her teeth, checking the time to see if she could still take a shower. Unfortunately, it was past 10 pm, so Lapis had to skip the shower tonight and wake up earlyish tomorrow to clean herself. That was fine by her, and she made her way to the bathroom to finish taking care of her skin and teeth. By the time she had finished, her pj’s were on. She settled into bed and called Pumpkin over, lightly petting the dog as her eyes perused the screen. She decided to pull up her messages and text Peridot about the session they had today.

_ Lapis  _ \- the session went ok today

_ Lapis  _ \- i almost died to a dragon and we got lots of gold

_ Lapis  _ \- i made sure steven saved some loot for you so its all fair

_ Lapis  _ \- i also told steven about you coming to the cabins but not dnd

_ Peridot  _ \- Thank you so much Lazuli. I’m really glad that you did that for me! Also, how big was the dragon?

_ Lapis  _ \- of course i did it for you thats what friends do

_ Peridot  _ \- I’m aware, but it’s still nice. I’m glad you mildly enjoyed your sessions though. How did you almost die?

Lapis laughed as she recalled the epic tale of her wizard, Lapis, almost dying to some “bitch of a dragon”, as Lapis called it, named Venomfang. They chatted for an hour before Peridot had to begrudgingly sign off and study for her exam.

_ Peridot  _ \- I do have to go though, I’m sorry Lazuli. We can continue this later though, if you’d like

_ Lapis  _ \- id like to and dont be sorry its ok

_ Peridot  _ \- I just don’t like ending conversations so abruptly for something as lame as studying for some clodding class.

_ Lapis  _ \- oh yeah good luck with that i hope you do good

_ Peridot  _ \- Thank you, I hope I do good as well. Anyway, goodnight Lazuli, I’ll be seeing you Friday.

_ Lapis  _ \- goodnight peri and ill see you then

_ Peridot  _ \- Don’t call me that.

Lapis giggled slightly and turned off her phone, choosing not to respond to Peridot’s last message. She cuddled up closely to Pumpkin and pulled her in for an awkward dog/human hug. Luckily for both of them, neither of them minded and they ended up drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3,437 words. The shortest chapter here, I think. Again, I apologize but I promise next week's chapter will be much bigger. Also, yes, the Golden plover ducklings are from a post I saw on Instagram. They're really cute and I wanted to include them. Look them up if you haven't seen them, trust me you'll be doing yourself a big favor. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you guys next week!


	7. Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis, and the rest of the group, spend their weekend in some cabins in the woods. Angst and antics ensue. Part 1 of 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is out kinda late and really looong but I doubt there will be complaints haha. Thank you guys for all the support, I'm loving the comments I'm getting and my kudos are about a 40 while the hits are in the 800s. I really really appreciate it, and I'm sorry if I'm slow with responding to comments. This was posted late because I've been getting ready to have my friends over so we can all play The Last of Us Part 2. If anyone is a TLOU fan, I know how exciting it is, especially considering the wait! Also, Ellie is the love of my life but we won't talk about that... Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Blue enveloped her, soft and bright like the sky but violent and angry like crashing waves. The blueness stilled her, peace of mind falling onto her. She drifted into silence until she was suddenly yanked from the blue. Her eyes met her assailant’s, realizing that they had pulled her from her ultimate demise. She looked around and found herself in the bathroom, in a tub filled with blue, blue water. Suddenly, she was dunked back in and her silence was met yet again. Big hands held onto her throat, forcing her down and under the water. She tried to pry them off but to no avail. She felt herself slipping before she was pulled out once again, gasping for air and holding onto the arms who were previously holding her down.

“Have you cooled off yet?” A voice called. The hands loosened around her neck and she breathed in deeply. “Well?” The hands tightened again. She coughed and her voice strained, her fists weakly punching the hands around her throat. With a sigh, the hands were loosened again. All of a sudden, she dropped the helpless act and looked up at the voice with fire in her eyes.

“No, but I think you do.” Her hands tightly gripped the ones around her neck and yanked them off. The voice let out a startled “huh”, but before they could get any words out, their hair was being twisted up into a fist and their head dunked under the water that once held their victim. When they went under, she laughed and made sure to put her knee in the middle of her now prisoner’s back. She tightened the grip on the thick, white hair in her hand and shoved it deeper into the water. After about a minute, she lifted the bundle of white hair out of the water to let them breathe.

“Have you cooled off yet, Jasper?” She repeated, smirking.

“Fuck you, La-” before Jasper could get her sentence out, Lapis pushed her head under the water again. This went on for what felt like hours, and when Lapis finally had enough, she pulled the nearly unconscious Jasper from the tub and smiled at her state. She leaned over and softly kissed Jasper’s forehead before standing up and leaving the room.

Lapis woke up with sweat dripping down her face and a hand clutching her shirt. She breathed heavily as her body shook, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes. She lurched forward and felt around her. She sighed in relief when she realized she was in her home, her bed, next to a still sleeping Pumpkin. Her breathing slowed, but she felt tears running down her face. Lapis laid down, trying to calm herself. The only thing she could do was silently weep, and she did so until her eyes got red and puffy and tears could flow no more. She slowly grabbed her phone and flinched at the sudden bright light, and blinked rapidly to check the time. Her phone read 4 am. She sighed loudly and tossed her phone over Pumpkin and into a pile of laundry.

Lapis stared up at her ceiling and pulled her blanket up to her chin. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself to sleep, but sleep never came. After about an hour of attempting, Lapis decided to just get up and start her day. She pet Pumpkin awake and stumbled around her room trying to find her phone. Once she picked it up, she made her way into her kitchen trying to find something to wake herself up. Lapis usually didn’t drink coffee, as it just never really tasted that good to her, but that was really the only thing in this house that could possibly wake her up.

“To hell with tasting good.” She said, making a pot of coffee. Pumpkin whined as if she was getting some, making Lapis laugh a bit. “You’re not getting any, girl. I don’t think you can even have this.” Lapis poured herself a big cup of black coffee and chugged it down. “Or like it.” She finished it with a gag and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. If Lapis Lazuli Vakas were to drink coffee, it would usually be some sweet abomination that any “coffee drinker” would scoff at. Today, though, required something stronger than some extra sugary frappuccino from Starbucks. After chugging her pot of coffee, Lapis sat down on one of her barstools jutting out from her small kitchen island. She decided to wash down her coffee with a bowl of cereal, and finished it in about half the time it took for her to make it. She checked her phone and saw that she had a few hours before work, and noticed that Steven had texted her about thirty minutes ago.

_ Steven  _ \- i had 2 wake up early 2 get the cabin thing sorted out, text me when u wake up!

_ Lapis  _ \- im actually awake right now what do you want

_ Steven  _ \- why r u up so early?

_ Lapis  _ \- bad dream you know how it is

_ Steven  _ \- do u want to talk about it?

Lapis considered the idea for a moment. On one hand, it was really embarrassing to tell Steven about her dream, as it stemmed from real-life events. She never wanted him to know what she was actually capable of, afraid that he’d call her a monster. On the other hand, it would be relieving telling someone  _ something _ . It’s not easy bottling things up over and over again, and Lapis knows that better than anyone. With a sigh, she texted him back.

_ Lapis  _ \- yeah if you dont mind

_ Steven  _ \- ofc i dont, now tell me.

_ Lapis  _ \- it was about jasper and i back in emerald city

_ Lapis  _ \- it was pretty violent and it just got worse and worse as it went on

_ Lapis  _ \- the worst part is that it had happened in real life so it was like i was reliving that event over again in my own head

_ Lapis  _ \- its ok though im fine now ever since i drank a bunch of coffee

_ Steven  _ \- im sorry, lapis. is there anything i can do 2 help?

_ Lapis  _ \- no not really but thanks for being here

_ Steven  _ \- no prob, bob! im always here to help

_ Lapis  _ \- my name is lapis but thank you

_ Steven  _ \- duh, i know that. thats the point of the joke. anyway, i was meaning to give u the directions 2 the place. Ill send it after. also, r u taking peri w/ u? If not she can ride w/ me.

_ Lapis  _ \- i think shes riding with me but ill double check with her on that

_ Steven  _ \- ok idrc its whatever she wants. C u ltr!

_ Lapis  _ \- see ya

_ Steven  _ \- oh, and lapis? u kno you can trust me. i wont judge, i promise. i know that things between u and jasper was rocky at best but im here 4 u. dont u forget that!

_ Lapis  _ \- i wont thank you steven

Lapis put down her phone and walked over to the couch. She decided to pack up her things for the cabins and put together her work bag. She made sure to grab her blue duffle bag and threw it onto her bed in a huff. Her duffle bag was buried deep in her closet, as the last time she actually used it was to move into this house. 

“That shit was so hard to find, wasn’t it girl?” She asked Pumpkin. The dog just responded with a slight wag in her tail. “Not like you helped…” Lapis murmured. She grabbed her bathing suit from her drawer and stuffed it in there, making sure to check that it didn’t smell like chlorine. She then picked out a light outfit for hiking and another just general outfit. She made sure to grab her pj’s too. She shuddered as she remembered the last trip she took where she had forgotten her pj’s. She had to wear jeans to bed. It was one of the worst sleeping experiences in her life. Lapis then packed up her phone charger, her mini teardrop backpack, some sunscreen and deodorant, her toothbrush and toothpaste, some shower things like soap and conditioner, her skincare stuff, her trusty rain poncho and hoodie, flip flops, a hairbrush, and a pack of granola bars and a bag of trail mix. She also grabbed a little blue and white snapback just in case she needed to cover her eyes from the sun. She also grabbed her hiking boots from her closet and set them next to her almost overflowing bag. Despite that it was summertime in Beach City, Lapis also decided to stuff one of her throw blankets into the duffle bag. 

_ ‘Just in case.’ _ she reminded herself. By the time she finished packing and loading all of her bags into the car, Lapis realized that she had a very hungry dog waiting on her. She filled Pumpkin’s bowl up and gave her a hearty goodbye before leaving. She doubted she would see her again before she left for the weekend, so Lapis made sure to make the most of it. She grabbed her lunch and water bottle before heading out the door and jumping into her car. When she turned it on, the little clock read 8:30 am.

“Fuck.” she cursed. Lapis had left later before, sure, but today she couldn’t afford to be late. She had a client right as her shift began, and it wasn’t some regular client either. This person was actually an adult, around Lapis’s age. Kind of strange, but if someone wants to learn how to swim, Lapis will teach them how to swim. When she reached the parking lot, Lapis shot out of the car like a jet and clocked in just in time, getting a congratulatory ’whoop’ and high five from Sadie. Before she left for her client, though, Lapis dropped her house keys into Sadie’s hands.

“Here are the keys, sorry I didn’t get you them earlier.” She said.

“Oh that’s no problem at all, I do have a question though.” Sadie replied.

“Sure, what is it?” Lapis asked

“Does Pumpkin eat at specific times or just whenever you notice she starts to get hungry? I don’t want to mess up her diet.” Sadie responded. She seemed so serious, and Lapis almost laughed at it. She would never laugh in Sadie’s face though, the girl was too nice to be cruel to.

“She doesn’t really have a set time as she just eats whenever I wake up and get home, but I’d say 8 am and 8 pm are good times.” Lapis said, thinking. Sadie nodded and Lapis could notice she was writing all the information on what she assumed was some kind of notes app. “Only 1 and a half scoops of food. The scooper is in the bag by the way. Also, she can be kinda clingy and sometimes jumpy if she likes you so I’m sorry in advance. She really likes to play with her stuffed snake, it’s her favorite. The hippo is a close second but I wouldn’t really bother with the cactus. She doesn’t like it, for some reason, unless she’s  _ just _ had a bath. She doesn’t need a bath, by the way, I’m planning on giving her one when I get back.” Lapis ended, smiling at Sadie.

“It’s no trouble at all, really. I love dogs so I don’t mind a little clinginess. I think your client is here, though. He looks a lot older than I expected.” Sadie pointed her finger over Lapis’s shoulder and through the doorway, leading Lapis’s eyes straight to a heavy boy with curly blond hair, glasses, a Hawaiian t-shirt, and cargo shorts.

“Fuck me he’s that creepy dude Lars shooed away. Do you remember that? It was when I first started working. He kept hitting on me when I repeatedly told him that I just got out of a bad break-up. He didn’t even stop when I said I like girls and only girls, saying something about how he could ‘change me.’ Ugh.” Lapis shuddered. Sadie did the same when she remembered how relentlessly the man flirted with Lapis despite her repeated attempts to shut him down.

“I can probably call Lars again. I’m pretty sure Ronaldo isn’t allowed here anymore.” Sadie said loudly, announcing the boy’s name so hopefully, he’d get the message. Unfortunately, he did not, and instead, thought of it as some kind of invitation. He walked towards the two girls with a sleazy grin on his face.

“M’ladies. How do you do on this wonderful morning?” He asked, hand extended and lips puckered as if expecting the girls to let him kiss their hands. All of a sudden, footsteps could be heard echoing through the pool room and Lars came bursting through the doors.

“RONALDO!” He yelled, raising his fist and charging at him. Ronaldo’s eyes went wide as his entire demeanor dropped from confident ‘lady-charmer’ to a sniffling baby. His face froze as he turned around, running out of the front doors and not looking back, screaming on his way out. Lapis let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

“I really don’t understand why he keeps coming here after I  _ keep _ telling him he’s not welcomed!” Lars grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at the door.

“Well, why do you keep signing him up for sessions?” Sadie asked.

“I  _ don’t _ ,” Lars replied, “you can sign up on our website, and I can’t control that. Typically, people sign up at the counter so I can see them but I can’t do anything about the online part. Hopefully, he doesn’t come back next week because I’m gonna be gone. Though, I bet you girls could handle it if push comes to shove. Or you could call me if I’m free.” 

“I think we could handle it, he ran off after some yelling.” Sadie laughed. “But thanks for the offer. Are you going to be working close to the pool?”

Lapis knew they were going to start having one of  _ those _ conversations. She knew Lars liked Sadie, it was pretty obvious by how he talked and acted around her. Sadie, though? She had no idea. Maybe she liked him, but it wasn’t Lapis’s business. Either way, she always found them talking about some random thing where Lars would usually be bragging and Sadie would usually be encouraging him. Lapis thanked the two of them and returned to the breakroom. With Ronaldo gone, she could have a bit of a break before her next client. She whipped out her phone to check her messages. The DnD groupchat was not active right now, but the night before they discussed what they needed to bring with them. Pearl and Amethyst were in charge of the drinks, meaning Pearl would bring water while Amethyst would, most likely, be bringing alcohol or soda. Probably both. Garnet, Steven, Connie, and Bismuth were in charge of bringing the actual food, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They couldn’t all just live on snacks, despite Lapis’s argument. Lapis and Peridot were in charge of snacks. Lapis had brought her stash with her, it wasn’t massive but it would be helpful on the hike they were planning to take. However, she knew that Peridot didn’t have too much money.

_ ‘Maybe we’ll make a quick store run before we go out to the cabins.’ _ Lapis thought.  _ ‘If she’s even driving with me, I need to ask her and then tell Steven.’  _ Lapis reminded herself. She tapped on Peridot’s name.

_ Lapis  _ \- hey peri are you riding with me

Then she remembered Peridot had a class around this time. 

_ Lapis  _ \- sorry i forgot you had a class right now text me when youre done

_ Lapis  _ \- also i was thinking of going to the store before heading out and since were both getting snacks we could go together if you ride with me

_ Lapis  _ \- not to convince you or anything just thought id let you know 

_ Lapis  _ \- not that i wouldnt mind driving with you its really not a problem

_ Lapis  _ \- its kind of nice having another voice in the car sometimes even if yours is kind of annoying

_ Lapis  _ \- that was mean i take it back your voice is not annoying its nice ok bye for real now

Lapis groaned and slapped her forehead, chastising herself for her messages. They weren’t weird, just came off as a bit clingy. Lapis sighed and put her phone in her work bag. She stepped over the pool and past Lars and Sadie to start cleaning up in anticipation for her next client. She soon arrived, and luckily for Lapis, it was not the uppity British girl she was dreading to see.

Lapis’s lunch break came quickly, and she soon found herself eating her premade meal and scrolling through some of her apps in the employee’s breakroom. Sadie came in about halfway in to talk about Pumpkin and if she liked walks, Lapis told her it was only a couple days so it would be ok. Sadie insisted anyway, so Lapis told her about her harness and leash and their usual route. Turns out Sadie walks every day anyway, so an addition wouldn’t be much of a problem. Lapis thanked her and continued eating. At the end of her break, her phone lit up with some text messages from Peridot.

_ Peridot  _ \- My voice isn’t annoying or nice, but thank you for the compliment (insult?), Lazuli. I actually do need a ride, Garnet already has enough with Bismuth and I would rather die than ride with either of the couples. Thanks for the offer, I’ll be ready whenever you text me.

_ Lapis  _ \- yeah of course sorry for the texts lmao

_ Peridot  _ \- Psh it’s fine. So we’re going to the store before we go to the cabins? That’s fine by the way, I just need to know so I bring money.

_ Lapis  _ \- thats the plan

_ Peridot  _ \- Wonderful. Also, it’s Peridot, not Peri. As per your earlier messages.

_ Lapis  _ \- whatever you say peri

_ Peridot  _ \- Wow, thanks.

Lapis smiled and texted Steven about Peridot’s riding situation before putting her phone back into her work bag. Unfortunately, her break was over and she had to return to cleaning the pool and training crying kids. She put her lunch container in her work bag as well and set out for the pool.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lapis had finished her day quickly hoping to make it to the cabins before nightfall. She waved goodbye to Lars and Sadie before getting into her car and driving towards Peridot’s house. She drove in silence until she pulled up before the apartment’s gates. She saw a disgruntled Peridot lugging a bag and attempting to open the gate at the same time. Lapis smiled and stared for a bit but ultimately left her car to go help.

“Hey Peridot.” She smiled.

“H-hey, Lapis.” Peridot strained.

“Need some help?” Lapis asked.

“Please.” Peridot threw her bag on the ground as she responded.

Lapis grabbed the handle of the gate and put in the password Peridot gave her. The gate was heavy, and Lapis struggled a bit getting it open. Once she did Peridot let out a sigh of relief. Lapis had to hold the gate to make sure it didn’t fall back onto Peridot as she got her bag out and to the car.

“Thank you Lazuli, I was sure I would be trapped!” Peridot yelled as she hauled her bag into the trunk of Lapis’s car. Lapis giggled at her dramatics.

“Of course, anything for a friend.” Peridot beamed and jumped into the passenger seat of Lapis’s car. Lapis joined her before continuing. “That was the first time I heard you call me Lapis in a while.”

“Do you not like me calling you Lazuli? I think it has a nice ring to it.” Peridot shrugged.

“Oh no I don’t mind at all, I just find it funny that you insist on calling me by my second name.” Lapis said, mimicking Peridot’s shrug. Peridot froze and slowly turned to Lapis, her mouth wide open.

“Lazuli  _ isn’t  _ your last name?” Peridot exclaimed.

“No, it’s my second name. There’s a hyphen between Lapis and Lazuli. Lapis hyphen Lazuli. My last name is Vakas.” She laughed. Peridot’s eyes grew wide and she suddenly found the radio very interesting.

“I can’t believe you’ve betrayed me like this…” She whispered. Lapis just laughed harder and started her car, heading to the nearest grocery store.

“It’s ok, I was going to tell you sooner but then I realized the longer you said it the funnier it’ll be when I reveal it.” Lapis said. 

“I’m still calling you Lazuli. It sounds better than Vakas, anyway.” Peridot huffed and crossed her arms. Lapis laughed and agreed, causing Peridot to loosen up a bit. By the time they got to the store, both girls were laughing. They took a second to cool off before heading inside. They both listed off what they had before choosing what to buy. Lapis had trail mix and granola bars while Peridot had a jar of peanut butter and some crackers. Lapis eyed Peridot after she proudly announced the 1 pound of peanut butter she brought with her.

“Peridot,” she said calmly, “what the  _ fuck  _ are we going to do with that much peanut butter?” Peridot looked at her slyly.

“Ohoh you don’t know Amethyst like I do. The peanut butter is a distraction. She’ll go straight for the peanut butter leaving the rest of the good stuff for us!” She announced. Lapis nodded and smiled.

“That’s actually… really smart. How do you know this?” She asked.

“I’ve known Amethyst for a while. We kinda had a thing when she still went to college and I was a freshman. That’s long past now though, but the main takeaway from the whole thing; Amethyst  _ loves  _ peanut butter.” Peridot said proudly.

“ _ You _ had a  _ thing _ with  _ Amethyst _ ? You and Amethyst? That sounds like it went as well as a broken-down machine.” Lapis sputtered.

“Wonderful analogy, Lapis,” Peridot chided, “but no, it went fine. It wasn’t ever serious, just a thing. We’ve been friends ever since and were friends before and during it. Anyway, you’re welcome for the peanut butter.”

Lapis begrudgingly thanked her and began to walk around the store looking for things to bring. Peridot insisted they grab fruit gummies and popcorn, and Lapis couldn’t agree more. Lapis also convinced Peridot that they absolutely  _ needed  _ Oreos and Goldfish, to which Peridot agreed. They got all their snacks and went to the register, splitting the cost. Lapis pushed the cart over to her car and pushed it into the cart return after Peridot loaded all the groceries. They both got in and Lapis rushed to turn on the fan. Summer’s in Beach City weren't that bad considering they had a beach, but it could still get pretty hot especially in Lapis’s ‘metal incubator’ as Peridot called it.

“Thanks for going shopping with me.” Lapis said as she began to back out of the parking lot.

“Eh don’t worry, I didn’t really bring that much along anyway.” She smiled.

“The peanut butter will be pretty important considering we have some pretty valuable snacks with us.” Lapis said. Peridot smiled and nodded her head. “Hey, do you think you could check the message on my phone? I asked for the address of the cabins from Steven in the store and I think he texted me. Here.” She handed Peridot her phone.

“Yeah sure.” She turned on the phone and read Lapis’s recent message out loud. Lapis sighed.

“Why would he give me directions with East and West in it… goddammit, Steven.” She said.

“Oh uh, I think I know where this place is. I can put it in your Google maps if you really want to use  _ that _ primitive technology.” Peridot scoffed.

“Technically I have Apple maps not Google, so…” She looked over at Peridot, “but yes please.”

“Android is better than Apple, you know. The capabilities that Android’s possess are too powerful for the likes of any Apple phone!” She sneered.

“Yeah, I don’t really care. iPhones are prettier and have better emojis, so they win in my book.” Lapis said. Peridot grumbled something that Lapis couldn’t quite hear but didn’t push it as Peridot was busy typing the address into her phone’s maps. All of a sudden, a woman's voice called out loudly

“Turn right.”

“Fuck!” Lapis exclaimed as she jerked right, causing the guy behind them to yell and flip them off. “You almost killed me!”

“I did not! Your phone did. Android is the way to go, I’m telling you.” Peridot shrugged, a smug look falling on her face.

“Yeah, yeah. Count your days, Peridot Tull.” Lapis grumbled.

“Mm, no. I don’t think I will.” She smiled at the disgruntled Lapis. Lapis rolled her eyes but couldn’t stifle her laugh.

“Did you see that, though? That guy was  _ so _ mad!” She giggled.

“What a sudden change of attitude,” Peridot remarked, “but yes, I did. However, his face was even funnier! I wish I had a picture.”

The two joked and talked the entire way up to the cabin. It was roughly a thirty minute drive, but to Lapis, it only felt like ten minutes at most. She pulled into the cabin’s parking lot and stopped her car near the cabins. Steven came running up to her car with a giant smile. 

“I’m so glad you guys made it! Everyone’s here now!” He beamed, helping the girls unload everything from the car. He lifted up Peridot’s and Lapis’s bag and carried it to the cabin they were to be staying in. “I hope you guys like it. I mean, they’re all the same, but still. Are you guys gonna unload now or hang out with the rest of us? No judgment for whatever you wanna do because it  _ is  _ kinda late.”

“I’ll pack up later, thanks. Lemme just grab the snacks really quick.” Lapis answered and ran to the car to grab the grocery bags. Peridot agreed and went with Lapis to grab the grocery bags.

“I wonder how this night is going to turn out.” Peridot said.

“Hopefully good, but I don’t know. I just hope Amethyst and Pearl can keep it together.” Lapis shrugged.

“They’re actually a really great couple, they just fight a  _ lot _ . Good couples can fight a lot.” She replied.

“How can they be a great couple if they fight a lot? Coming from experience, fighting never makes a relationship great. In fact, it makes it quite the opposite. People need to learn before they get hurt.” Lapis sneered, quickly snatching the grocery bags from the car’s trunk. She stomped away leaving a very confused Peridot behind and going to the campfire. She threw the bag on the floor and sat next to Steven on one of the log chairs. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the campfire, her arms crossed. Steven glanced at Lapis, a confused look on his face. 

“You okay? You seem kind of angry.” He stated. Lapis sighed and dropped her arms from her chest.

“It’s… nothing. I just got reminded of a certain someone and my nightmare from this morning hasn’t really settled yet.” Steven nodded. He put his hand on Lapis’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Lapis. I’ll make tonight better though, I promise!” Steven smiled at her, offering a hug. Lapis accepted and hugged him tightly, only releasing when she saw Peridot walking up. The girl looked over at Lapis with concern, but Lapis just offered her a smile. Peridot took it, but Lapis knew she didn’t fully accept it.

Everyone was sitting on the logs around the campfire, joking and talking about their day or week. Lapis was kind of quiet, mainly because she zoned out and wasn’t really hearing much of the conversation. She was thinking about Pumpkin and how Sadie would be seeing her in about an hour before her thoughts were interrupted.

“...madness, everywhere! Right, Lapis?” Bismuth asked her. Lapis snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at her. The woman was standing, her arms spread out with a giant smile plastered on her face. She cocked her head slightly as Lapis just sat there, staring at her dumbly. “I’m talking about that one wrestling match we went to. The one in Empire City, with Jasper.” 

Lapis’s mouth tightened into a line. Her hands balled up into fists by her side. “I’d rather not remember, thanks.” She stood up and hugged herself tightly. “I think I’ll be turning in early.” She said, turning away from the group. Pearl was staring at Bismuth angrily while Amethyst held her girlfriend’s arm. Bismuth’s amused expression dropped into one of remorse. Garnet hunched over to rub her hand on her forehead while Connie and Steven shared a look with each other. Peridot just looked confused.

“Wait, why not?” She asked. Everyone was quiet for a minute, completely frozen. Lapis turned around slowly, taking a deep breath in. She stared down at Peridot, her eyes narrowed and her mouth forming what looked like a sneer.

“I  _ said _ I don’t want to remember it.” Peridot let out a little squeak at Lapis’s harness. The blue-haired girl just turned to walk away. “I’m going to unpack.” She said, before leaving the fire. Lapis pulled her bag up from off the porch and went into the cabin. When she entered, she found a small table with two chairs to her left, right next to the door. There was a little pamphlet of the area around her and all of the activities she might want to try. There was a dresser not too far from the table, right up against the wall. On top of it was a medium-sized TV. Across from that was a door, or what Lapis assumed was the bathroom. The cabin was made of oak wood, Lapis assumed, as it had a nice color to it. The floors were also wooden which Lapis appreciated. It weirded her out when floors were carpeted unless it was in her own home. Who knows what could be living between the fabric? Her eyes wandered into the middle of the room. She dropped her bag onto the floor and looked at the middle of the room with horror.

“There’s only  _ one  _ fucking bed?” She groaned and held her hand to her forehead. “This is going to be a disaster. What kind of shit is this, Steven?” She shouted at the door. Not like he could hear her. She sighed and decided on taking the left side of the bed.

_ ‘I hope Peridot doesn’t mind… not like I care, though.’  _ She pulled out her blanket and laid it across her side of the bed. She pulled out her toiletries bag and went into the bathroom to set it down. She took her toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush out and set them next to the sink. She then took out her conditioner, shampoo, soap, loofa, and body wash out to put them in the shower. Lastly, she emptied out her bag and arranged her skincare items next to the wall near the sink. She also put her sunscreen and deodorant next to them. Since she took the left side of the bed, Lapis found it only fair that she took the left side of the sink since it was farthest from the door. Once she unpacked her toiletries, she found her dresser. She decided that she would not be loading her clothes in there since she had no idea who used it before. She did, however, take her teardrop bag and the rest of her snacks out of her bag and set it on top of the dresser. She went over to the chairs to find an outlet, which she promptly plugged her phone into. The bed had two nightstands on either side, and she noticed there was a small alarm clock on the one near Peridot’s side. Lapis’s had a lamp, which would be useful. There was also a closet next to Lapis’s side, and she threw her bag filled with her clothes into it. The cabin was small, smaller than she had imagined it to be. It looked almost like a motel room, but the building itself was much nicer. Lapis looked over near Peridot’s side and saw that she had a fan, which could be useful considering it  _ was _ summertime. After a few moments, Lapis decided to sit on one of the chairs and read the pamphlet left in the cabin. There were pictures of beautiful vistas, quite a few wildlife pictures, and some information about the local flora and fauna. The book had some interesting facts about the area, as Lapis learned that the cabins once hosted some famous person. Lapis didn’t know them, but the amount the pamphlet mentioned them made her assume they were  _ really _ famous. Or the cabin owners were really fishing for something. In the end, there was a stunning picture of the lake nearby, and directions to get to it. Lapis admired the photo before reaching over for her phone and taking a picture of the directions. She definitely wanted to go there, as it looked much better than the creek Steven told Lapis about. Though, she’d love to go to both. She checked her phone and found that it was almost 9 pm. She had a text from Sadie as well, from about an hour ago.

_ Sadie  _ \- Pumpkin is so sweet, I just feed her. I also took her on a mini walk! She’s a great walker, btw.

Lapis smiled at the text message. She wished more than anything that she had Pumpkin right now. Whenever Lapis thought about Jasper, it was always nice to hold her and cry into her soft fur. Lapis had gotten Pumpkin almost right after she split up with Jasper when she was still crashing in Steven’s basement. She found Pumpkin in a box, a soaked, really skinny, bright orange puppy. She was obviously abandoned and Lapis assumed she was dyed bright orange. Someone had dumped her in the middle of a rainstorm. Lapis quickly brought her home to Connie and Steven. At first, Connie didn’t want Pumpkin in the house and insisted they give her up at the shelter, but Steven convinced her. Lapis moved out in under a month after that, mainly because she didn’t want to live in her married best friend’s basement, but also so she could give the dog a proper home. Pumpkin’s been living with Lapis ever since.

Lapis sighed and went over to her bed. She laid down and pulled the blanket over her. After about a minute, Lapis knew she wasn’t going to get any sleep. Her nightmare kept playing over and over again in her head. She rolled over to her nightstand and saw a remote for the TV. 

_ ‘I didn’t see this before.’ _ She thought. Lapis grabbed it and flipped through the channels offered. It astounded her that there was WiFi here, though for the life of her she couldn’t figure out how. It was pretty weak though, as to be expected, but the TV worked just fine. She searched through the channels until she finally found what she was looking for; Camp Pining Hearts. Lapis smiled in delight and turned it on. She got halfway through the episode before she heard the door opening. She whipped her head over and found Peridot slowly trying to enter the room.

“Hey, Laz, I just ca- IS THAT CAMP PINING HEARTS?” The blonde yelled, rushing over to throw herself on the bed. Lapis could almost see stars in her eyes.

“You watch Camp Pining Hearts?” Lapis exclaimed.

“YES! Who wouldn’t? It’s a marvel of human accomplishment! The best show ever produced by mankind!” Peridot marveled, reaching over Lapis to get the remote. Lapis blushed slightly as the girl reached over her. Lapis attempted to push her, but that didn’t deter her much as she snatched the remote and turned the volume up. Lapis smiled slightly at how excited the girl was but made sure to turn her face so Peridot couldn’t see. After a few minutes, Peridot snapped out of her trance and slowly turned down the volume. She looked over at Lapis. “I actually came to talk to you. About before.” Peridot said. Lapis looked like she was going to say something, but Peridot interrupted her. “Before you ask,  _ no _ I was not sent on anyone’s behalf. They’re all kind of worried but Steven told them it would hurt more if they just stopped everything so they continued. Not to be sappy, but I kinda missed you out there Laz. Even if you  _ did _ snap at me.”

“I thought maybe they sent you, thanks for clearing the air on that,” Lapis joked, “I’m sorry for snapping at you though, Peridot. You didn’t deserve it. Also, I like the new nickname.” She said, sitting up and turning towards Peridot.

“Eh don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have pushed,” she apologized. “I like it too, but don’t think for a second I’m retiring Lazuli.” She joked, fake punching Lapis. Lapis smiled and laughed a little back.

“I am sorry though. I’m also glad they didn't stop having a good time. That would’ve made me feel even worse than I do now.” Lapis sighed, throwing herself back onto the bed. “I really didn’t mean to snap or get so angry; it all just… came out.”

“Do you want to talk about it? I may not seem like it, but I’m actually a really good listener.” Peridot joked again. Lapis smiled.

“Yeah, right,” Lapis teased, “but I would like to talk about it, actually. You’re lucky. I never tell anyone anything.”

“You really should, I think it would help. Anyway, I’ll be quiet and listen now. Start whenever you feel ready.” Peridot affirmed. Lapis nodded and took a deep breath.

“Bismuth and I go back. A while back, when I was still in college. I met her through my girlfriend at the time, Jasper. The girl Bismuth mentioned. She and I… we weren’t good for each other. Not at all. I… I wanted to hurt her, I-I  _ had _ to hurt her. She hurt me, too. It was like this, I don’t - I don’t know. Cycle? Of violence? It wasn’t just physical, either. Sometimes we’d just have like, insult battles. Trying to like, tear each other down with insults. She knew where to hurt me; exactly what to hit. I wasn’t much better. This went on for years. I left and fled from her, about a state over to go live with Steven, but I… I miss it. That’s the worst part. I  _ miss  _ that. I miss taking everything out on her, feeling like I was the most powerful person in the world. Me, a skinny, barely 110 pound, 5’7 girl could make a muscular, almost 180 pound, 6’1 girl crumble to her knees in tears. It was pathetic.  _ We  _ were pathetic.” Lapis took a breath and wiped away tears from her eyes before continuing, “I left that behind roughly eight months ago. To live here, in Beach City with Steven, away from Empire City and more importantly away from her. The reason I’m so… off… today is because I had a nightmare last night. Or this morning, I suppose. It was a pretty bad one, too. It’s been hard to get over all day, and with Bismuth mentioning it at the campfire, I just lost it. I shouldn’t have left like that or snapped at you, though. There’s no excuse for that. I just can’t believe she’d bring her up! And then to include me? Try to get me to speak about something I did with her? She knew, too. Knew about what we did to each other every night…” Lapis trailed off. She chewed the inside of her cheek and tightened her hand over the sheets. She didn’t even realize she was gripping the sheets, nevermind so tightly. She sighed before she looked back up at Peridot. “I don’t blame Bismuth. I just wish she didn’t talk about  _ her  _ when I’m around. I’d prefer if she didn’t talk about Jasper at all, but beggars can’t be choosers. Anyway, that’s basically the gist. We abused each other and eight months out I still miss her even though she was literally the worst person I’ve ever met and I wasn’t much better. I’m honestly a monster.” Lapis ended. Peridot waited a couple of moments before speaking.

“Can I hug you, Lapis?” She asked. Lapis hesitated, biting her lip and staring into Peridot’s eyes. Peridot’s eyes were  _ green _ . Green, with pupils blown out, filled with concern. Lapis could tell she cared for her, but she could also tell the blonde was… scared? Lapis prayed to every god and goddess that she could name that Peridot wasn’t scared of her. Lapis didn’t know what she would do if Peridot, this girl filled with such concern over a monster like her, was scared. Of  _ her _ . Considering her offer of a hug, though, she doubted her thoughts. She nodded slowly and was quickly met by a pair of arms enveloping her. 

Peridot was soft, Lapis decided. She acted rigid and callous, but she was actually really, really soft. Peridot’s arms tightened and Lapis melted into the hug. This was different from her hugs with Steven somehow, though she couldn’t put her finger on why that was. The two stayed there for a few minutes before they split. The second Peridot left Lapis felt cold.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped, I just thought you needed a hug.” Peridot apologized.

“No, no. Don’t be sorry. I…  _ really _ needed that. You’ve got good intuition.” Lapis smiled.

“Heh, intuition. That’s funny, Lazuli.” Peridot giggled slightly. “But, uh, I want to say I’m sorry, although you don’t really seem like the type of girl to want sympathy. I’m saying it anyway, and that despite what you say about yourself, I don’t think you’re a monster. You know I, well, I  _ knew _ her. The uh, J girl. She was a complete asshole to me so I doubt she was the victim.”

“You  _ knew  _ Jasper?” Lapis exclaimed.

“Yeah, for a little bit. We worked at the same company, except I was her assistant. She treated me like garbage, but nothing compared to how she treated you, of course. I also left Empire City around that time. Kinda funny, huh?” Peridot chuckled. Lapis chuckled slightly alongside her.

“That is. I think I remember her talking about you once. Why did you leave, though?” She asked.

“I uh…  _ may _ have called my boss a clod? To her face? Not Jasper but the  _ actual _ boss. It ended exactly how you’d think that would end.” She cringed, obviously remembering the interaction. Lapis stared at Peridot for a second, trying to keep her laugh in. She failed, miserably, but after a moment Peridot joined her.

“That’s- there’s no- I can’t believe-” Lapis sputtered, trying to catch her breath.

“Take your time.” Peridot grinned.

“I just. You. Yelling at your boss. I’m sorry, you just don’t seem like the type.” Lapis quipped.

“Oh, I definitely did. It was not my most dignified moment, but the clod really did have it coming. She yelled at me in front of all my coworkers and refused to let me speak! Also, uh… I may have had prior connections to said boss? She was my, get this, my  _ mother _ . She was always horrible to me but that was honestly the last straw. I couldn’t take it anymore so I interrupted ‘I’m a terrible daughter and will never amount to anything’ rant she used on me almost daily by saying ‘You don’t know anything about me, you CLOD!’ If only you could’ve seen her face.” Peridot sighed, shaking her head and looking wistfully off into the distance. “Anyway, I put as much distance between her and me that I could, that was affordable, of course. I ended up unscathed though, so hah. Peridot one; mother none.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait… she was your MOTHER?” Lapis exclaimed.

“Ohoh yes. I got her good, too. In a meeting with all the higher-ups!” Peridot beamed. Lapis laughed loudly and congratulated Peridot.

“It’s really horrible that she was reaming you out in front of others though. However, you  _ did _ insult her flawlessly so I say it’s even. But, in all seriousness, how was your mother shitty?” Lapis asked.

“That’s definitely a story for another day. I promise I’ll tell you, maybe just not tonight though.” Peridot offered. Lapis accepted and settled back down into the bed. “Do you feel better though Laz? I can get you something to drink from outside if you want?” Before Lapis could answer, Peridot exclaimed an ‘oh’ as she shot up from where she was sitting. She bent over the bed and pulled out two water bottles. “I meant to give you this, earlier. Sorry about that” She chuckled.

“Thank you so much, you’re a life-saver.” Lapis chugged the bottle in a few seconds, burping loudly when she finished. Peridot looked over in disgust but handed the other bottle towards her. “No, you keep that. I actually do have some water, it’s over in that water bottle right there. I just didn’t want to get up.” Lapis teased, sticking out her tongue. Peridot rolled her eyes and grabbed Lapis’s bottle before she could argue.

“I was already up, don’t worry. Anyway, I just noticed the bed situation,” Peridot gestured to their queen-sized bed, “I can sleep on the floor or on a chair if you’d like. You can have the bed for yourself.”

“What? Peridot, no. You can sleep here, you dummy.” She giggled.

“You sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfor-” Peridot was interrupted by Lapis pulling her into bed. Lapis held onto Peridot for a second, laughing her ass off, before she realized the position they were in. Lapis was practically spooning the poor girl, so she quickly pushed her away.

“Sorry I didn’t mean that. I do want you to sleep here though, it’s just as much your vacation as it is mine.” She smiled over at her. Peridot was blushing brightly and adjusted her glasses before smiling back.

“Then sleep here I will. Steven told me to set the alarm for about 7 am, though. He said we were going on a morning hike. However, I think Amethyst and Bismuth are going to be  _ way _ too drunk for that. Plus, it’s like 1 am right now. I convinced him that if we wake up at 7 am and everyone is too tired to hike, we can go to sleep and get back up at 9 am to try again. In my opinion, though, we should just set it for 9 am because I know I’m right.” Peridot ended with a huff. Lapis giggled at the girl’s wide scowl.

“Set it for 9 am. Steven can’t do anything about it even if he wanted to. Plus, he’ll probably be just as glad. He’s got a mean pair of puppy eyes for sure, but he honestly wants to sleep too. He’s just trying to flex that he’s a park ranger that wakes up early and knows the hiking trails.” Lapis joked. Peridot snickered and turned around to the alarm, setting it for 9 am.

“I’m going to brush my teeth, but goodnight Lapis. Thank you for telling me all that, I really appreciate it. I hoped I helped you” Peridot said.

“Of course, thank you for helping me out and listening to me. That helped, and meant a lot to me.” Lapis hummed. “Call me gross, but I’m not going to brush my teeth. My emotional turmoil is too much.”

“That is gross, but I can’t force you to do anything. For the love of all things that are good, please brush them in the morning though. I don’t want to be smelling your morning breath halfway across the campfire.” Peridot nagged.

“I will, I will.” Lapis promised. “Now go brush your teeth.” Peridot rolled her eyes with a smile and saluted Lapis before heading towards the bathroom. Lapis laughed and watched her leave. She cuddled up into her blanket and assumed she would be met with horrible thoughts. Fortunately for Lapis, nothing was tormenting her. She decided not to think too hard about it right now, as it would distract herself from sleeping. She began to fall asleep to the sound of the water running in the bathroom. The door was cracked, with some light and the shadow of Peridot spilling out. 

“Maybe things are going to be ok…” She whispered to herself before she slowly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8,140 words DAMN. This is the longest chapter so far and I hope I made up for the last one lmao. I accidentally got caught up in Red Dead Redemption 2 while writing. I also had to make this chapter in parts because it was just getting too long and although a 10,000+ word chapter would be cool, it would be a lot of writing on my part and a lot of reading on your guy's part. Though, I doubt any of you would mind! I'm sorry for the parts though, as you all will have to wait another week to see this chapter done technically. As I said in the beginning though, thank you guys for all of your support. I always wanted to write fanfiction, and the support has helped me actually carry through with it and do it. I appreciate it very much! Have a great week and I'll see you all next Friday! Have fun playing TLOU 2 if anyone's a fan ;p


	8. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis bonds more with Peridot as the camping trip continues. Part 2 of 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm sorry this story is a day late, I've been really fucked up over The Last of Us Part 2. It was just as amazing as I knew it would be but it still broke me inside, more than any game has to this day. I finished it on Sunday, so about a week ago, and it's still stuck in my head. If you have a ps4 I highly recommend getting it because damn. Any reviews or leaks you may see will NOT do it justice so experience it yourself if you haven't. Anyway, thank you guys for waiting on this chapter I promise the next one will be on time. I also notice I've had more comments coming in and I'll be responding to them right after I post this chapter! Thank you for your support and your patience, I appreciate all of you so much.
> 
> Hey, this is an edit to the notes because I recently learned I will be going to see family for (roughly) a week or so. I won't be able to post when I get there, which is tomorrow. I will be there for about a week so I won't be able to post any new chapters until I get back home. I'm really sorry guys, I've been trying to keep a steady schedule but this isn't something I can control. By the time I get back, though, I'll try to upload all the chapters I missed out on if I can. I hope you guys can understand, and have a great rest of your week! Sorry about the lame news, though :(.

Lapis woke up to a loud, obnoxious beeping noise. She wanted to turn over to try and stop the blaring alarm, but someone else seemed to have the same idea. The alarm was turned off before Lapis could do anything about it. She then heard a slightly frantic voice begging Lapis to wake-up, accompanied by some light shaking. 

“Lapis,  _ please _ get up! I hear something going on outside…” The voice called out. Lapis turned over and saw the source of it; Peridot. The girl had some massive bedhead, her usually maintained blonde tuft was sticking out in all directions. Her glasses were hanging off her face as she desperately tried to fix her unruly shirt that decided to have one sleeve hang off her shoulder. Lapis grinned widely at Peridot’s attempt to get ready, but upon seeing how flustered the blonde was, Lapis leaned over to help her.

“The trick is to pull the collar, not the actual sleeve.” She said, slowly grabbing Peridot’s collar and tugging lightly. Peridot pulled away quickly, her face red but her shirt fixed. “Like that.” Lapis smirked. 

“Thank you, Lazuli. I,  _ we _ should be heading out there. To at least see what’s going on.” Peridot stammered, still blushing. Lapis giggled but obliged. The pair left the cabin and walked towards the campsite.

“I really hate when you get like this, Amethyst. It was a  _ hug! _ ” Lapis heard Pearl yell. She rolled her eyes as yet another fight between Pearl and Amethyst was about to occur. Or, by the looks of it, already occurring.

“It’s not just a hug! It looked weird! I’m not the only one who thinks that, am I?” Amethyst demanded more than asked.

“Ok, Amethyst, Pearl, maybe we should work this out later. We have a hike, remember?” Steven asked nervously. He looked like he was holding Connie back from trying to jump into the fight. While Connie was an excellent swordswoman, she was not very good at deescalating conflicts. That was Steven’s domain, for now at least. Lapis looked around for the source of the conflict and found, of course, Pearl and Amethyst causing a ruckus. She also noticed Bismuth standing off to the side looking very uncomfortable. 

“Ah, I get it.” She said, looking towards the campfire.

“Get what, Laz?”

“Pearl did something with Bismuth and Amethyst got jealous. Steven is trying to resolve the fight but failing  _ miserably _ .”

“Excellent observational skills. I should put that to use someday. But, uh, what do we do?” The blonde asked, looking up at Lapis with genuine interest.

“We just, walk up there, I think. I mean, what else can we really do?” Lapis shrugged. Peridot bit her lip but nodded. They both began to walk towards the fight, but upon noticing the pair’s arrival, everyone went quiet. Lapis realized how she left last night and how  _ maybe _ coming back right now was not the best idea. Unfortunately, there was no time to turn back, so the two marched on. When they reached the campfire, Pearl and Amethyst’s argument seemed nonexistent. All eyes were on Lapis before Steven finally broke the silence.

“Hey Lapis, hey Peridot,” he smiled nervously, “how are you um… holding up?”

“Just fine, Steven. What about this hike you mentioned? I heard you say something about it as we were walking up.” She smiled. Steven smiled and gave her a grateful look. He cleared his throat dramatically before continuing.

“We’re going to hike up Sparrow’s Creek!” He announced, loudly. “It’s an easy hike, but kinda long. There’s also a creek, so, bring something if you’d like to swim. I think we should all cool off,” he looked over at Amethyst and Pearl, “get dressed,” he looked over at Lapis and Peridot, “and maybe eat and pack before we get going, which will be in about 30 minutes. How does that sound?” Steven said, his hands on his hips. He reminded Lapis of an overly excited camp counselor. She laughed to herself and murmured agreements with the rest of the group. As quickly as she and Peridot got to the campfire, they were turned around and returning to their cabin. 

“What a start to the morning, huh Lazuli?” Peridot joked. She opened the door to the cabin for both of them insisting Lapis went first.

“It sure was. Remind me to  _ never  _ leave like I did last night and then return like I did this morning. Talk about awkward.” Lapis huffed, pulling her bag out of the closet.

“Eh, it wasn’t that awkward. It broke up that fight, so all things considered, I’d say that was a win.” Peridot teased. She walked up to the dresser and opened one of the drawers, pulling out some clothes. Lapis looked over with disgust.

“You seriously put your clothes in that thing?” She gagged.

“It’s not that bad, they clean it. Plus, it’s probably better they sit in here than in that nasty closet.” She said.

“Mhm. Still gross.” Lapis muttered. Peridot refused to talk to Lapis anymore until she brushed her teeth, so the blue-haired girl reluctantly made her way to the bathroom. They both finished changing, packing, and generally getting ready for the day in about twenty minutes. Lapis was wearing her blue and white snapback, a black t-shirt, denim shorts, some long, white socks, and her hiking boots. She was also wearing her bathing suit underneath in case she wanted to swim. Peridot called her ‘basic’, yet was wearing a grey hoodie, some cargo shorts, and combat boots.

“You know, hoodies and hikes never really go well…” Lapis said, eyeing Peridot’s outfit.

“Well, Lazuli, it’s the only thing I have so I suppose it’ll have to do. What’re you, some hiking guru?” Peridot retorted. Lapis giggled and threw her one of her shirts. It was pale blue with a small embroidered whale on the upper left side, right on the pocket. There were also oceans listed on the back, all 5 of them. Like some weird band shirt but for oceans.

“I’d say we’re about the same size. Trust me, you’ll be thanking yourself that you wore this instead of that sweat trap.” Lapis said. Peridot struggled to catch the shirt, and when she finally held it, she looked over at Lapis with a grimace. “Oh come  _ on _ , just try it on!” Lapis begged. Eventually, Peridot grumbled something about ‘having to go change again’ to which Lapis happily cheered. Peridot came back in a few minutes with the shirt on.

“I look ridiculous.” Peridot muttered, looking at her feet.

“No, you don’t. It looks cute, honestly. Plus, no one goes hiking to look good, and I doubt anyone will be critiquing your clothing choice. Just wear it, for me?” Lapis pleaded, staring up at Peridot and trying to mock Steven’s puppy dog eyes. It eventually worked, and with a sigh, Peridot looked up at Lapis.

“You’re insufferable.” She said, blushing.

“Sure. Anyway, get packed. I’m going to get us some food.” Lapis grinned. She grabbed her teardrop bag and left the cabin. Inside of her bag she had her water bottle, deodorant, sunscreen, phone, granola bars, and trail mix. She headed for the campfire and grabbed herself a plate of some eggs, bacon, and toast. She got the same for Peridot and made her way back to the cabin. 

“Open up, Peridot! I have food and no hands!” She yelled. In a few seconds, the door was opened and Peridot quickly grabbed her food with no more than a hasty ‘thank you’. Lapis laughed and sat down on her bed to eat. Lapis grabbed the TV remote and turned it on, flipping through the channels until she found Camp Pining Hearts. It was an episode she had already seen, but that didn’t really matter. She heard Peridot gasp from the chair she was sitting on and felt the bed dip as she scrambled up it.

“This is such a good episode oh my  _ stars _ !” She exclaimed, clutching her fork closely to her chest.

“Hah, yeah, it is. Let’s try to hurry though so we can meet Steven. I think I can save this episode…” Lapis said, playing with the remote. After a few moments, a menu popped up and inside it she found the option to record the episode. She did so, to Peridot’s delight. They ate quickly and made their way to the campfire. Upon arriving, Lapis could sense some tension. Peridot seemed none the wiser and ran up to Amethyst to talk to her about whatever it is they talk about. Lapis stood off to the side, waiting to get an opening to talk to Steven. Steven seemed to notice her sulking off in the corner and waved her over.

“Hey, Lapis! Thanks for helping out earlier today, that was about to be a pretty horrible fight. I don’t know what’s gotten into them lately…” Steven sighed.

“Good morning, Steven. I don’t know what’s gotten into them either...” Lapis said, her eyes drifting back to the campfire. Pearl and Amethyst were obviously avoiding each other; Amethyst was loudly joking with Peridot and Pearl was practically screaming with Bismuth. It was messy.  “But they need to figure it out. It’s not healthy for either of them and it definitely isn’t fun for us to hear.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I know Amethyst and Garnet are leaving tonight so hopefully, there won’t be any more conflicts.” He said, also eyeing the group around the campfire.

“We’ll see then. When are we heading out?” She asked.

“Mmmm,” Steven checked his watch, “now. Let’s go tell the others.” He lightly grabbed Lapis’s arm and pulled her along. Typically, Lapis would flinch if someone grabbed her like that, but today her body decided it wouldn’t react. Maybe because it was Steven, or because she was tired. Whatever the reason, she thanked her mind for being able to act normally for once. The pair made their way to the campfire and before Steven spoke he loudly cleared his throat and stood on one of the log seats by the fire.

“Hello! Everyone! Can I get your attention?” He yelled, waving his arms. Everyone stopped talking and looked up at the man frantically waving his arms around. “We’re gonna go hiking now, if you guys are up for it! You don’t need to come if you don’t want to, but I’ll tell you, it’s  _ very  _ pretty!” He waited for anyone to step away if they didn’t intend to come, but fortunately, no one did. “Great! Now, I’ll lead the way! Try to stay single file and not tread on the plants, they can be fragile!” Steven told them. They all nodded in agreement and put on their packs. Steven went in front and Connie, Garnet, and Pearl fell behind. Bismuth went between Amethyst and Pearl, whether on purpose or just chance, but Lapis silently thanked her. Hopefully, that would stop fights rather than cause them. Peridot went behind Amethyst and Lapis took up the rear. It was a pretty ideal formation, in Lapis’s eyes anyway. She smiled as they began hiking

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With Steven leading them, the group quickly made their way up to the creek. It was mainly silent, as everyone was concentrated on their breathing but also the area around them. It was beautiful, and since Lapis was in the back, she was able to take as many pictures as she wanted. She’d probably send them to the groupchat if anyone wanted them. When they got to the creek, Steven announced they would be having a break. Everyone seemed to like the sound of that, and Lapis and Peridot quickly unpacked their snacks to share with everyone. Once the group finished eating, Steven told them they couldn’t leave any trash and made everyone pick up after themselves. He also told them they could swim if they’d like. Lapis definitely wasn’t one to pass up swimming, so she quickly stripped down to her suit and jumped into the creek. She was followed by Steven, Connie, Amethyst, and Bismuth. Garnet, Pearl, and Peridot decided they’d rather sit this one out. Eventually, Amethyst was able to drag Pearl in and Steven persuaded Garnet. Peridot was left alone on the shore, sitting on a rock. She didn’t look sad, maybe relieved that no one was pressuring her, but Lapis still felt bad. Seeing Peridot sitting alone by herself while everyone else was having fun in the creek made Lapis slightly upset, for reasons she didn’t care to know. She got out of the water and walked up to Peridot. Once she got next to her, she shook her head violently, thoroughly soaking Peridot.

“LAPIS! My hair!” She screamed, holding her arms over her head to desperately save herself. Lapis just laughed and pried Peridot’s arms apart, making sure the water got everywhere. Peridot began yelling and pathetically tried to push Lapis away. This caused her to laugh even harder, and suddenly, a snort slipped out. Lapis froze and Peridot pushed her off. She looked over at Lapis with a giant smile, knowing that she now had ammo against Lapis. Before Peridot could say anything, Lapis clapped her hand over the blonde’s mouth. That still didn’t muffle Peridot’s laughter. Lapis’s face fell into a bright blush, mainly because of embarrassment, but there was something else tugging at her. She realized that Peridot had a  _ lovely  _ laugh, and she also realized that she hadn’t heard her laugh so loudly before. Sure, it was nasally, loud, and obnoxious, but it was  _ so  _ Peridot. Lapis quickly pulled her hand away from Peridot’s face and put her hand on her heart. 

_ ‘What the  _ fuck  _ was that?’ _ She asked herself. Peridot looked over at Lapis, her laughter dying down.  _ ‘Lovely?  _ Lovely? _ I’ve never really used that word before… not like this...’ _ Peridot’s face dropped from happy to concerned once she saw Lapis’s flushed yet scared face.  _ ‘Lovely… lovely? Huh.’  _ Peridot ran in front of Lapis and called her name.  _ ‘Lovely laugh. Lovely voice... Is she calling my name right now?’ _ Sure enough, right as Lapis broke from her thoughts, she found a very worried Peridot waving her hand in front of her face and calling her name.

“Lapis! Lapis! You scared me so bad! I thought you were mad at me or something! Are you okay? Do you ne-”

“You have a lovely laugh.” Lapis interrupted.

“L-Lovely? That’s a first…” Peridot mumbled to herself. Lapis smiled at the girl, who seemed to be lost in thought. Quite a contrast as to how they just were. After a few moments, she looked up at Lapis and stared into her eyes. Peridot also had lovely eyes, Lapis decided. “Wow, thanks. You have a lovely laugh, too.”

Lapis smiled and her cheeks heated up. She thanked Peridot and told her goodbye, then turned away to go back into the water. She spent the rest of the afternoon wondering why she felt so queasy. 

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By the time everyone finished swimming and hiked back to the cabins, the sun was low and about to fall behind the nearby mountains. As much as everyone wanted to stay, Garnet and Amethyst had to eat dinner before they left, and it was getting pretty late. They made it to the camp just in time though, and Steven was able to set up the fire and find sticks for everyone to roast their hotdogs on. Lapis sat next to Steven and Connie while she slowly rotated her hotdog. She only stopped when she noticed Amethyst and Garnet saying their goodbyes. By the looks of it, Pearl and Amethyst were good again as they shared a long kiss ending with an even longer hug. Garnet just stood by and waited for Amethyst to finish up. Lapis waved goodbye to both of them before they set off for their car. She finished roasting her hotdog and walked up to the picnic table to find a bun and some condiments. She was a simple girl, only needing mustard and ketchup, but could make do with only one or neither. Luckily for her, both were there. She got her hotdog ready and found a place to sit. She stared into the fire as she ate. Every so often, someone would add something to the fire and it would flick about, bright and reaching for something it never seemed to grasp. After its little show, it would die down again to a small flame, swaying side to side in anticipation of something else being added to it. It was pretty, Lapis decided, but dangerous. Pretty and dangerous. She laughed to herself.

“That’s just how the world is, huh?” She said to her half-eaten hot dog. The day ended well, and by the time Lapis finished, everyone was already settling down. Steven suggested they stay up to tell scary stories, and Lapis wholeheartedly agreed with him. Connie and Bismuth agreed as well, but not as enthusiastically as Lapis. Pearl decided that she was tired and didn’t really want to be kept up by anything they told, but left the cooler out for anyone who wanted a drink or two. Peridot said she would rather ‘stub her toe on a massive rock and then fall into a pit of snakes’ than listen to whatever stories they had to tell. After some pleading from Lapis and Steven though, she finally agreed and sat down in between the two.

“I just don’t know how this will help  _ anyone _ . Scary stories are not fun. Ever. Plus, the only ‘scary stories’ I know are those classic creepypasta ones so you’re not getting anything from me.” She huffed.

“Come on Peri, it’ll be fun. Plus, you don’t need to tell any stories. Just leave it to Steven and I.” Lapis chuckled. “Who’s going first?” She asked when everyone settled down.

“I think I will!” Steven shouted gleefully. Lapis smiled and got herself comfortable. Steven breathed in deeply before continuing. He told a story about a girl and her dog, and how this girl kept having to get up and check dripping taps. Lapis had heard this story many times, but she could feel the girl next to her grow tenser as the story went on. Finally, Steven got to the ending and he took his sweet time explaining.

“She then noticed the dripping sound… was coming from her closet!” He yelled, lifting his hands up. Peridot squeaked and jumped to hold onto Lapis. She was genuinely terrified, and it made Lapis laugh. “She opened the closet, and to her horror, there was her dog. The dripping sound was its blood spilling from its throat. On the wall, written in the dog’s blood, were the words humans can lick too.” Lapis giggled at the end of the story, but she could swear Peridot’s face was practically white with fear.

“That was  _ horrifying! _ What the fuck Steven?” She yelled. Everyone around the fire laughed at Peridot’s terror. The girl just cowered, holding on tightly to the log.

“You can leave if you’re too scared.” Lapis said.

“If I could, I would, but now I’m too scared to leave! To walk out into the dark, into the cabin alone… where someone could be under the bed, licking my hand!? No thank you, Lazuli.” Peridot replied as she looked around nervously.

“Well, the stories are just going to get scarier, so it’s your funeral.” Lapis smiled. Peridot just sighed but seemed to have calmed down a bit. Connie went next, and instead of telling a fake scary story, she just talked about how some kid cut his hand off with a sword once. Even Lapis cringed at that one. Bismuth told a classic story, about how someone was dressing up as a clown and hiding in children’s rooms. Peridot was thoroughly shaken up by the time it got to Lapis.

“Well, since no one here has actually given a  _ scary _ story, I suppose it’s my turn.” She smirked. Everyone just told her to shut up and get on with it. She smiled and cleared her throat.

“A few years ago, there once was a girl, her mother, and her grandmother. They lived in a forest not much different from here, secluded from the ‘real world’ and left to fend for themselves. She was often told to be careful of the woods, as her grandmother was horribly superstitious. The girl assumed that her grandmother just didn’t want her to get lost, so for the first 15 years of her life, she obeyed. One day though, she was out, deep in the forest collecting mushrooms for her mother. She heard a strange whining noise coming from the bush and ran over to check it out. When she opened it up, there was nothing but the head of a rabbit. She screamed and ran all the way back home. When her grandmother asked why she was so upset, the girl told her exactly what she saw and heard. Her grandmother’s eyes grew wide and her breath quickened. She quickly asked the girl if what she said was true. When the girl answered yes, her grandmother rushed to lock the doors and windows. The girl was quite frightened at her grandmother’s reaction, but she helped her with locking the windows and doors nonetheless. Her grandmother then went to go tell the girl’s mother what was happening, and the girl saw the same look on her mother’s face that was on her grandmother’s not long before. She asked them what was happening, but instead of an answer, her mother just told her to go into the living room and light all the candles in the house. The girl obeyed. She was then told to light the fireplace. The girl obeyed. She was then told to go into the basement, close the door, and to not make any sounds or come out no matter what she heard. The girl obeyed. She stayed in the basement for hours, waiting for something to happen. She couldn’t hear or see, anything. That is until a thud slammed into the basement door. She heard her mother and her grandmother scream and heard flesh ripping from the bone. She heard growling and snarling noises and the familiar whining noises from earlier erupt inside the house. The girl began to weep silently, hoping that everything she was hearing was fake. After a few moments, the house was filled with silence again. She decided to get out of the basement and check the house. To her horror, her mother and grandmother were strewn across the house, blood, bones, and flesh in places she couldn’t imagine them being. She could only stare, her eyes wide and mouth forming into a sob. She looked around the house and found the backdoor completely open, strange footprints trailing out of it. She also noticed that all the candles in the house were out, including the fireplace. She lit the candle and it immediately went out. She lit it again, and the same thing happened. However, when she went into the kitchen and lit the candle, it stayed. She wandered back into the living room and the candle went out again. She looked around the house but couldn’t find anything. She fell asleep in the basement and cried over the loss of her mother and grandmother. When she woke up, she found the house cleaned and clear of any debris. She couldn’t find her grandmother or mother anywhere, but she swore the bodies of them couldn’t have just left. She walked over to the living room and found the back door shut and the bloody footprints wiped away. There was, however, a pool of blood in the middle of the carpet. It was dripping from the ceiling. She looked up, and the bodies of her grandmother and mother were tied to the ceiling, poorly put together, and tied there with duct tape. Next to the bodies were the words ‘good thing you didn’t look up’ written in blood.” Lapis finished, smiling and looking around the crowd. Even Steven seemed scared, and he was what Lapis considered a master scary storyteller. She smiled even more when she saw the terrified looks of the people around her. After her story, everyone decided it was time to go to bed. Lapis honestly didn’t think her story was  _ that _ scary, but it was late and dark, plus there were other stories to go before hers. She smiled as everyone left and for the first time in a while, felt accomplished. Peridot tugged at her arm before she could start gloating to herself.

“Can we go inside now, Lapis?” Peridot asked.

“You don’t have to wait for me, you know.” Lapis shrugged.

“I kinda do, seeing as you’re in my cabin and I’m scared shitless right now. Plus, I don’t want to watch Camp Pining Hearts without you.” She said meekly. Lapis giggled a bit at Peridot’s state, but decided to take pity on the girl.

“Sure, let’s get going. I’m pretty tired anyway.” Lapis grinned. Peridot smiled at her response and walked very closely to Lapis until they reached their cabin. The girls got changed into their pj’s and brushed their teeth in turns, Lapis taking a bit longer because she insisted on doing her skincare routine. By the time they finished, both of them were very tired and ready for bed. Lapis grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, the episode they were watching before played and slowly turned into background noise as they both fell asleep.

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The next morning, Lapis found herself awake at an ungodly hour. She got up to check her phone and saw the time; 4 am. She also got a few texts from Sadie about Pumpkin and what they did, including some pictures of them on a walk and Pumpkin stuffing her face. Lapis smiled and texted her back a few ‘thank yous’ and ‘hope you’re having funs’, nothing too intense but would do for her tired 4 am brain. She took her phone back to bed and tried to get in, but Peridot was sprawled across the whole bed. Lapis looked over at her and laughed, snapping a picture to tease her about tomorrow. Unfortunately, Lapis couldn’t get back into bed without having to physically push Peridot and run the risk of waking her up, so she sat on the chairs and read through the provided pamphlet again. She made sure to read each page very closely, memorizing the names and looks of every plant and animal she came across. Eventually, she got to the end and found the beautiful lake she had planned to go to. Lapis put down the pamphlet and decided that, despite the earliness, maybe going on a hike/swim would be a pretty great idea. Besides, if she didn’t go now, she would have to wait until she came back up here again. Steven was planning on taking everyone up to this mountain peak, a big final hike before they all came back to pack up and leave the cabins. Lapis got dressed, her bathing suit underneath her blue hoodie and denim shorts. She put on her hiking boots and grabbed her teardrop bag, putting her hat, sunscreen, deodorant, a couple of granola bars, and her water bottle in it before opening the door and heading out into the dark.

It took her about an hour to get to the lake, and the sun was beginning to rise over the treeline. Lapis was stunned by the view; it was even prettier in person, though it did take a while to get there. She sat near the water’s edge, just admiring the view. She even took a picture and sent it to Sadie, as the girl  _ did _ request some scenic photos. Lapis started taking off her clothes and folded them neatly near her bag. However, right as she was about to get in the water, a voice cut through the air.   
  


“Lazuli what the  _ hell _ are you doing here?” A very annoyed voice called out. Lapis froze and turned to meet the source.

“PERIDOT? What the hell are  _ you  _ doing here?” She asked in complete shock.

“You woke me up with all your walking around! I saw you packing your bag and looking at some pamphlet before you left! I went over to check it and you, conveniently, left it open right on the page with the directions to this lake.” She held up the pamphlet. “Obviously I wasn’t going to let you just like, run off without telling anyone, all by yourself, at night! Do you have a death wish?! That was stupid, Lapis, but luckily I was around. You can’t just do that!” Peridot yelled, clearly overwhelmed. Lapis walked over to her and held her shoulder.

“Peridot… you couldn’t protect me even if you tried. I can knock a motherfucker out before you could even say my name.” Lapis joked. To her relief, Peridot smiled and even laughed a bit. “Also, I woke up really early and tried to go back to sleep, but  _ someone _ was taking up the whole bed.” She reached over for her phone and pulled up the photo of Peridot all over the bed. Peridot blushed and tried to take Lapis’s phone away, but Lapis had at least 4 inches on Peridot and kept it just out of her reach. “ _ Also _ ,” she continued, “I really wanted to go here before we left, and I knew Steven wouldn’t have time in his plan. So, I decided that instead of sleeping on the floor or on one of those chairs, I take this opportunity to come out here and witness this.” She gestured to the scene behind her. Peridot stopped struggling to reach the phone and looked at what Lapis was gesturing too. Her eyes widened and a small smile adorned her lips.

“Wow… this place is really pretty, Lapis.” She said.

“I know, right? I was going to go swimming for a bit until maybe a couple of hours then head back down again. Just in time to get ready and eat breakfast.” Lapis smiled.

“Hmm… I suppose that’s smart, though the execution was dumb. Mind if I stay with you?” Peridot asked.

“Of course. But, only if you’re willing to swim with me.” Lapis winked.

“Swim? No, heh, no. I don’t  _ swim _ Lazuli.” Peridot said, her arms crossed over her chest. “It’s not that I can’t I’m just… it’s not my cup of tea. Per se.”

“I won’t judge you. I’d just like someone to swim with if you don’t mind.” Lapis pleaded. Peridot stared at her for a moment, her frown deepening as she blushed. The pair were silent, Lapis holding Peridot’s hand and staring into her eyes, silently begging her to say yes. Peridot was looking anywhere but at Lapis, her hand limp in Lapis’s. They sat like that for minutes, until Peridot finally spoke.

“Fine.” She said, pulling her hand away and standing up. “But I’m not wearing a bathing suit…” She mumbled.

“That’s fine, just swim in what you’re wearing! Or your underwear, if you’re wearing any. No judgments, remember?” Lapis smiled, holding her hands up.

“I’ll just… swim in what I’m wearing.” Peridot stammered.

“Fine by me.” Lapis responded. She grabbed Peridot’s hand and dragged her into the water. Peridot immediately tensed up when the water hit her, and Lapis couldn’t blame her. The water was cold, colder than the creek by far.

_ ‘Maybe because the sun isn’t quite out yet.’ _ she reasoned with herself. It took them both about ten minutes before they could fully submerge comfortably. Lapis had never seen Peridot swim, but it’s not like she couldn’t. They had some water fights and races, trying to see who could hold their breath the longest or could swim the fastest. By the time they had to get out, the two girls were exhausted. Unfortunately for them, they had about an hour of hiking to do and then another few hours of hiking up a mountain when they returned to the campsite.

But, despite the fact that Lapis was truly and utterly exhausted, she was happy. She didn’t even dread the hike she had in an hour, she was actually looking forward to it. This was the happiest she’s been in months, maybe even years. Lapis left the lake with the biggest smile on her face, listening to some rant Peridot was on.

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The hike was very successful for everyone. Peridot and Lapis had some trouble getting up the mountain because of how tired they were, but everyone else seemed to be tired too. They blended in perfectly. They ended up having to pack up early to leave because Steven saw a park ranger on their hike. Something about his job, not that it was in danger but that he didn’t want anyone getting suspicious. Lapis didn’t really mind anyway, she was excited to get home and see her dog, take a shower, and sleep until work the next morning. She drove Peridot home and they shared stories the whole way there. It was nice, and after this trip, Lapis decided that Peridot was a good friend. Not her best friend like Steven, but she was basically her second favorite human at the moment. Quite an achievement for anyone when it came to Lapis Lazuli Vakas, but she would never tell Peridot. It was embarrassing for her to rank her friendships, but it helped when she listed off the people she could trust from most to least. When she finally got home, Pumpkin was beyond excited to see her. She couldn’t keep herself off of her, begging to be pet and held and cuddled. Lapis completely obliged, of course, laughing at the dog’s ridiculous reaction. She texted Sadie that she was home and thanked her for leaving the keys under the welcome mat. It would’ve been very unfortunate had Lapis come home without a way in. She eventually had to leave Pumpkin’s side to go take a shower, but even then, Pumpkin stood by the door and whined all the way until she was done. Lapis finished quickly to make sure Pumpkin was alright, but also because she was very tired. She filled Pumpkin’s bowl up before heading to bed. She fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5,713 words, not bad. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and of course, leave any positives/critiques in the comments as you see fit and I will try my best to respond. Also, we just hit 1,000 hits and 50 kudos! That's so big, thank you all so much! I never imagined this getting more than like half of that, at the very most. I hope you all are staying safe and fighting the good fight! I have some friends who are protesting and I wish I could be there with them but Las Vegas has implemented crazy rules and bans and my mom has decided that it would be too unsafe. Regardless, make sure you do all that you can and support one another. This is a hard time for everyone, so I'm proud of you guys for sticking through it. I also want to say that I'm not really a horror writer so Lapis's scary story probably was not that scary haha. Not to me, that is. Anyway, see you next week!

**Author's Note:**

> 4,790 words, wow. I hope you guys enjoyed, and if so, leave some comments on what you enjoyed/disliked, I could always use the advice! Like I said, this is the first time I've written anything remotely like this. Anyway, I'll be posting a chapter roughly every Friday, so come back next week :p


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